Mind of Others
by Traekor
Summary: Summary: A mission goes wrong has a friend lost but is she gone? Naruto will have to adjust to changes in his life. Will his friends make it worse or not? A blend of emotional drama, romance, and comedy true to Naruto style. [NaruSaku NaruIno NaruSakuIno]
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Life is normal until a mission goes wrong. A friend is lost but is she gone? Naruto will have to adjust to changes in his life. Will his friends be a help or make it worse (NaruSaku?, NaruIno?)

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

A/N: This is my first fic ever. I'll say straight up - I'm not a writer (engineering type, hah), but having spare time over the last weekend and this idea, I decided I just had to put it into words. I may rewrite certain sections in the future, too. I suppose this is best classified as adventure/drama now. Perhaps with some angst in the beginning. As the story progresses, I hope to add some humor and if I really decide to get writing - more solid romance/fluff to add to the mix. Just a note, I don't wish to spoil the direction this is going. This may seem dark at first, but I will try to gradually make it lighter. I wanted to try to capture the emotions of what I picture the characters would feel at the events in this fic. Yes I realize some things may move 'fast' - oh well. I don't know how long this will be in total. I have about 6-7 chapters laid out currently, and those end in a position where it would be easy to produce more if I decide to keep going at that point. I have enough content in mind to make it quite a fairly long story, so we'll see whether I have the attention span to go past the original 8-10ish I plan to write for sure :p

Just some notes, as far as pairings - most of the character interaction pairing wise is Naru/Ino and Naru/Saku, but not in a way you'd expect... Read and find out! Any romance as I said earlier would not come until later if I decide to keep going.

One last note, this is post time skip after the Sasuke retrieval mission - assume manga accuracy to that point then plot diverts. Don't expect major roles from many characters either - I plan to focus on a few on at the present.

* * *

The mid morning sun cast down golden rays across the quiet village of Konoha. Golden leaves fluttered about the cool autumn wind on this Saturday morning. Little activity was in the streets as Naruto eagerly bounded across the rooftops toward the hokage tower. He had woken up early, donning his orange and black jumpsuit, and no sooner had he secured his headband than he had bounded out the door. The excitable ninja had a mission this morning!

Two weeks had passed since he saw Sasuke, his cold expression and voice burned into his memory. The Hokage had made it painfully clear he was not to bother her for a mission for the duration of those weeks. What's worse, his team mate, crush, and friend Sakura had insisted he relax his effort to train after their failed mission. While he wouldn't complain she was voluntarily seeking him out to speak to him regularly, he wished it was under different circumstances. All he wanted to do was to get stronger, so he could fulfill his dreams and promises, yet she had thwarted his training several times whenever he started to get serious. Her ploys ranged from requests to help her move into her new apartment she was sharing with Ino, to the occasional lunch as friends, and once, she even had hauled him forcibly to a gathering of the Konoha 11.

The hyperactive blond youth _liked_ spending time with Sakura, but he truly hated going any extended duration without action. Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief, knowing in a few hours he'd be on hopefully a B or A rank mission. His fantasies played out in his mind. Maybe he'd get to save another princess, or defend a country against armies. _Better yet, maybe there's been word on the whereabouts of some Akatsuki. _His brow furrowed at the thought of the organization he thought of as his ultimate nemesis. Leaping from another rooftop, he landed on the soft dirt road that lead straight to the Hokage tower. The jinchuuriki collected his thoughts on Akatsuki and approached the stairs of the tower for the long climb upward. Almost everything bad that had happened to him and his friends over the last 3 years was a result of Akatsuki it seemed, although not always directly. He couldn't place his finger on why his pink haired crush seemed so protective over him recently. Since that mission to rescue Gaara, she constantly checked up on him even after he had failed her again on the mission to get Sasuke.. He shook his head at the developing headache, a telltale sign he was thinking too hard again - besides, life is much better when played by ear he decided upon reaching the top of the stairs.

Arriving at the door to the Hokage's office, the jinchuuriki inhaled a deep breath. Before he could think twice, he burst through the door, screaming, "Tsunade-bachan!" He instantly regretted his choice of words as not one, but two fists collided into him knocking him into the wall. Rubbing his swollen cheek, he cautiously looked up to see the Godaime Hokage looming over him, with an irate Ino next to her.

"Oi, Naruto, when will you learn some manners? Haven't you ever heard of knocking? And seriously, show some respect for Tsunade-sama!" berated the young blonde kunoichi. Naruto noted she was dressed in her skimpy purple and mesh two piece skirt-shirt combo, with her pale blonde hair obscuring the right half of her face with a long pony tail cascading down her mid back. Naruto trailed his eyes from her figure back to the Hokage, taking note of the violent gleam in her baby blue eyes.

Tsunade moved back to her desk, plopping into her chair with the grace unbecoming of a kunoichi of her station, before glaring daggers at the source of her recent frustration. Naruto nervously scratched at the back of his head, not sure why he was the victim of that glare.

"I suppose you're here to bother me about a mission, eh brat?" He nodded eagerly, as he brushed off his clothes. "Well then, I have just the thing. This is a C rank mission..." Naruto let his face drop as she continued. "You can accompany Ino here to a request received to investigate and help out with a request from a small village near the border of Fire Country. It requires a medical ninja, Ino is more than qualified for these mission specs. It should be a quick mission, I expect you'll be back in two days if all goes well."

Naruto counted to three, then yelled, "What!! First you give me only a C-rank mission, and then I'm stuck with Ino? At least send Sakura if they need a medical ninja! She's way ---" He was interrupted as a fist sent him colliding into the floor.

"Way what?! Better? Tsunade-sama already said I met the requirements, excuse me if my hair isn't pink." Ino huffed, looking at the Hokage who wore a slight amused smile. "Tsunade-sama, can't you send someone with me other than Naruto, or better yet let me go alone?"

The Hokage shook her head, "I will not send any newer chunin on a mission by themselves. Besides, Naruto the _genin_ wants a mission, and you're the only one available for a day. Seeing as he needs a chunin to lead him, and you need a partner it works out. Besides, I have a feeling both of your talents will be a great help to this mission, just as I planned."

Naruto muttered under his breath, "You just put me with her since she was already in your office when I came in."

Tsunade growled, "What was that brat? That's beside the point. Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, here's your mission details, now go."

Both the young blondes sighed, knowing when it was pointless to discuss further with the female sannin, and left the office.

* * *

Hours later, the two blonde leaf shinobi glided about the treetops toward their destination. The afternoon sun bathed the treetops in a bright light. Neither had said a word more than necessary to each other since they had left the Hokage's office, despite being the two 'loudest' shinobi of their generation. Naruto didn't know how to break the silence with Ino. It's not that he didn't like her; he knew she was friendly in her own right, an able ninja, and well, he had to admit she was one of the most attractive girls he knew. The problem was, he didn't really _know_ her. His experiences with Ino were verbal scuffles usually with Sakura present, or a handful of missions where there was virtually no non mission related conversation that didn't involve her opinion on what figures of women men preferred. He still counted her among his friends, whether she knew it or not (he did have a feeling she returned it, despite the fact they quarreled about nearly everything). He supposed he'd learn a thing or two about his unwilling partner, if anything on this mission.

Ino must have been thinking of him in a similar fashion, as he noticed he was the target of her scrutinizing gaze. He loosened his shoulders between jumps, as she broke the silence, her voice laced with sarcasm, "You know Naruto, I may not be as 'good' as your Sakura-chan, but I don't have cooties."

Naruto's deep blue eyes held a mischievous glint as they met her cold blue pupil-less eyes, which she had fixed on him with an indignant stare. "Are you sure? I only just got allowed back on missions, I wouldn't want to get something of yours that was contagious."

"Why you---" Ino's tirade was cut off by a loud snap. Both young shinobi reflexively snapped their heads toward the sound, and quickly jumped in alternate directions as a handful of kunai thudded into the wood of a large tree that marked their previous positions. Ino dived toward the underbrush, using the thick foliage to conceal herself, as Naruto summoned a group of clones that quickly jumped toward where the kunai had materialized from.

Naruto glanced to where Ino disappeared to, deciding she was fine at the moment. Upon sensing an enemy, he threw his own barrage of projectiles. Before they reached their mark, he jumped after them seeing them thunk into a puff of smoke. _A replacement.. _He gathered chakra to his legs, instinctively jumping backward, as a volley of shuriken flew toward him. Locating the enemy, he deduced he was up against at least two, possibly three. With his clones in position, he again threw two more kunai where he suspected his assailants were. This time, he saw one nin jump aside, while the other deflected his throw. Confirming their location, his clones then launched an assault from behind as he prepared to hold their attention from ahead.

While he engaged these two opponents, he heard the sounds of kunai colliding, quickly deducing Ino had her own opponent. Moments flew by, as he clashed with one of the enemies. It seemed his opponents were genin or chunin, he wasn't sure - they were fast enough to be chunin for sure, but didn't seem to display any special jutsus. Finally one of his clones scored a hit, its kunai lodged in the spine of an attacker. He proceeded to quickly incapacitate the other. A strangled cry of "Naruto!" caused him to freeze for a moment, summon more clones, before quickly jump to where he thought Ino was.

While his clones engaged his previous opponent, he blocked an incoming kunai and glanced to a panting Ino, gripping a bleeding shoulder. He looked about for the opponent, while hovering over her protectively. "Naruto, be careful, this one is at least a Jounin. He's very fast, and I don't know how, but he can change the direction of his throws mid air, chakra strings perhaps." She commented, while her hand started to glow green to stop her bleeding. Naruto nodded, and sensed that his clones had finished the other assailant. Then feeling them all dispelled at once, he decided that explained the brief lapse of attacks on him and Ino.

Naruto was soon blocking incoming projectiles left and right. _Damn this seems worse than fighting Tenten._ He quickly summoned a small army of shadow clones, effectively using them as a human shield for him. Ino stood up, and scanned where they were coming from. She pulled out several explosive tags wrapped around kunai, and threw them in a circle around them. Naruto then taking advantage of the explosions spread out with his clones, grabbing discarded shurikens and kunai and launching them into the brush. A dark blur dashed onto the branches above. _There he is!_

After a series of hand signs the enemy shinobi, materialized a small rain of short harpoon like projectiles that launched toward them. The clones hit by the barrage did not even deter the spears, as they blanketed the ground. Ino sensing an opening, jumped into the air and threw another explosive tagged-kunai toward the assailant. It was then she realized her mistake. Time seemed to slow down, as the seconds dragged on. The figure on the branch vanished as a clone upon the impact of her attack, when Naruto sensed a presence behind Ino. _Shit! Must help her!. _He poured chakra into his legs and jumped in an attempt to push Ino out of the way, shouting a warning. Her eyes widened, as she attempted to twist in midair. Another volley of the sharp thin spears came flying toward her, while she had no way to dodge. Naruto intercepted them, but to no avail, he groaned in pain as three sharp metal poles hit him. One had impaled him just below the shoulder, where another hit him in the lower left thigh. The last one tore at the side of his abdomen, ripping his jacket as it proceeded plunging into Ino. She screamed as she slammed against the tree, the pole passing through her landing below.

"INO!!!" Naruto roared, feeling his anger rise as a blast of red chakra enveloped him. The two poles in him shot out with great force, as his wounds quickly began to close. He rocketed toward the attacker quickly forming a rasengan. The enemy didn't expect such a display of speed and power after hitting an enemy with his technique, and was ill prepared to receive such an attack. The rasengan brutally ripped the jounin's gut to shreds as he slammed into another tree. Naruto quickly jumped down to Ino.

"Oh god Ino, I'm so sorry" he gathered her in his arms, looking at the gaping wound, bleeding profusely. "Hang on Ino, I'll get you back, believe it! Don't die!"

The pale blonde kunoichi coughed and sputtered, a small trail of her blood trickling from her lips as he helped her sit upright, falling against his chest. "I'm sorry for being weak Naruto... It wasn't your fault."

"Ino! Listen, don't talk like that!" Tears were forming at his eyes, her breathing becoming more and more labored. "I'm going to get you back I promise."

"Thank you.." she gasped out. Naruto held her tightly, watching as her lips curved into a serene smile, while her icy blue eyes began to glaze over. Naruto was shocked to say the least, having never been in this situation. He burst into tears as watched her lifeless blue eyes staring unblinkingly into the sun. All the memories he had of Ino and a torrent of emotions rocked through his mind. He didn't notice her hands curl up into a curious hand sign as she went totally limp against his chest.

* * *

All I'll say at this point is, this isn't a deathfic, read and find out! 


	2. Chapter 2

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Minutes passed as Naruto sat there, lost in the sudden emotional backlash, his jacket soaked with blood - some his, mostly Ino's. He couldn't feel a heartbeat, or any vital signs. _I failed her.. I failed one of my friends.. Is this the kind of hokage I'd be?_ He picked her up, holding her gently as he could - as one would handle a delicate flower. Ignoring the pain of his own wounds, he started to trudge back toward Konoha, as quick as he could without jostling his lifeless cargo.

* * *

Two hours later, Naruto approached the large gates of his village. He tried not to think on the entire trip. His expression was blank and defeated. The chunin guards' eyes widened at the bundle in his arms, one sprinting to alert Tsunade herself, as the other ran to Naruto. 

"Naruto-san! What happened? Hurry, we must get you two to the hospital!"

Naruto said nothing. He could not trust his voice, nor could he think of anything to say. _I failed her_. He nodded dumbly at the second comment, and mechanically stepped in the direction the chunin ushered him with worry and concern.

Minutes later, Naruto found him sitting in a chair in the corner staring at Ino's form sprawled out on a hospital bed. Tears began to sting his eyes, as he remembered the few missions he had with her, her fight with Sakura, and other conversations they had shared. She was always so lively in her own way, loud yet, unlike Naruto. He was interrupted by his thoughts when the Godaime Hokage followed by Shizune burst into the room. She quickly scanned the fallen kunoichi's form, then looking at Naruto's broken expression, while muttering "Oh god.."

Shizune nearly blanched seeing Ino, then Naruto's blood covered jacket. She moved over and began to inspect the young jinchuuriki. "Naruto?" The Hokage's apprentice had never seen Naruto in this state before. With no idea how to comfort him, she pulled him into a tight hug. Naruto sat there pole-axed for a moment, before weeping.

The moment was interrupted by Tsunade who spoke in a soft voice. "She's gone. There's nothing I can do." Those close to the hokage, would know how close to tears she was herself. "Naruto... don't blame yourself. I am sure you did everything you could. I'm sure Ino doesn't blame you either." Shizune stood up slowly, and was replaced by Tsunade, pulling Naruto into her bosom.

"I failed her... first I failed Sasuke and Sakura, and now I failed Ino.. what kind of a shinobi... friend am I?" he choked out. To be answered by silence, as Tsunade cradled her surrogate baby brother.

The voice of a young woman broke the silence, which Naruto recognized as Sakura.. "Tsunade-shishou, are you in here?" The pink haired medic pushed through the doors then her eyes widened as she took in the sight. A tray of medic supplies clattered to the ground, as her arms fell to her sides, as she ran over to Ino. "Oh god what happened!" She sobbed out, tears pouring down her cheeks as she again gasped seeing Naruto. _I failed her Sakura-chan. Your best friend needed me and I failed her. _The thought echoed in his mind, as he stared at the floor. His guilty conscience held him from looking or speaking to his rose-haired friend. When she moved next to him, he didn't know why, but he expected to be scolded, punched, or insulted. Yet he was stunned when she enveloped him in an even tighter hug, sobbing onto his shoulder.

Tsunade sighed, motioning Shizune out, to leave the young shinobi to their moment. "Sakura.. You have work off until further notice. Please do a check up on Naruto, then take him to his home when he's ready." She shut the door behind her, turning to Shizune who held a downcast expression. "This is the hardest part of the job.. I need some sake.."

* * *

They held each other for a while, before Sakura started to sit up, drying her eyes. She methodically looked at the damage on Naruto's jacket, but saw his wounds were already healed. She could guess pretty confidently from the signs of rapid regeneration, that whoever attacked Ino did not survive their encounter with the enraged kyuubi-container. "Come on Naruto.. let's get you home." She pulled him to his feet. She fought hard not to break down again. She was distraught at the sight of him like this.. and her lifeless best friend next to her. 

Leaning on each other, she got him to his apartment. Ushering him inside. "Naruto.. I'm sure you did what you could.. get cleaned up and get some rest ok?" Not waiting for him to answer, she shut the door and ran to her new apartment she had just gotten with Ino a week prior. When she reached her room, she collapsed on the bed, and sobbed the night away.

* * *

Dawn's early light shone through the small apartment window, stirring Naruto from his light slumber. He couldn't remember much after Sakura had left him at his house. He hadn't said a word to her all night. He just vaguely remembered showering then lying down and succumbing to an unexpected dreamless sleep. 

After a shower, he skipped breakfast, without much of an appetite for once. He put on some pants and a black undershirt, before sitting at the edge of his bed, remembering Ino. When the events began to replay in his head, he shuddered, then froze upon hearing a soft knock. _Our friends... what am I going to tell them? 'Sorry guys, I got Ino killed. I'm going to be Hokage but I can't protect a single friend. _He shook his head, looked at the ceiling. Another thought completely foreign to the rest of his thinking of the day entered his head quite suddenly. _You idiot! Ino doesn't want you to give up your dreams. You haul your whiskered ass out there, and get a move on. You still have many other friends who look up to you whether you know it or not. Will you abandon them? _He stood up, and walked to answer the door. He couldn't remember ever referring himself as being whiskered, but decided that his self motivational part of his brain was running out of ideas, and shrugged it off.

He opened the door, seeing his friends Shikamaru and Chouji with solemn expressions. "Uh... Hi guys..." His voice cracked as he searched for something to say.

Chouji put his hand on his shoulder, gripping lightly, as Shikamaru answered. "Don't say you're sorry that'd just make this more troublesome. You wouldn't be our friend if we didn't trust you completely Naruto." Naruto could see the pain in their eyes, and here they were talking to _him_. "I'm sure it was a troublesome fight, where you no doubt tried to jump block for Ino." _Shikamaru could guess that from what Tsunade told him?_

Naruto slumped. "I'm -" _STOP. Don't apologize, jeez. He already said troublesome enough don't do it! _Shikamaru regarded him with a raised eyebrow as his mouth was still gaping open from his discontinued comment. He caught himself and replied instead "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

It was Chouji that replied, "Naruto, we all look up to you. You have never give up once in your life. If you give up now, how can any of us go on?"

Naruto was stunned, his thoughts earlier were paraphrased, nearly word for word by Chouji. He nodded slowly, he would do his best not to disappoint his friends again. "Thank you guys. I think I just need to be alone for a bit."

Shikamaru started to pull Chouji away. "Take your time Naruto. It'd be troublesome not to have a noisy ninja around again." With a quick nod, the friends departed.

It wasn't until mid morning when Naruto decided to leave his house. He looked in his closet for something suitable to wear, and subconsciously reached for the only purple sweater he had. Donning it, he jumped down to the dirt road from his floor, heading off to get a bite to eat. A quick lunch at Ichiraku always helped him gather his thoughts.

Arriving at his favorite ramen stand, he sat down before ordering a bowl . Teuchi smiled, and asked "Are you ok Naruto? And I like the sweater, I don't think I've ever seen you wear anything other than black or orange before."

Naruto stopped eating for a moment, glancing at his shirt. "Oh.. I guess I never wore this much. Iruka-sensei gave it to me when I got back and I just never wore it since I didn't want it damaged while training or missions." He ate in relative silence, and after a brief lunch where he thanked the old man while paying.

Teuchi at the stand stared at Naruto, suddenly very worried about his best customer. He couldn't remember a time where Naruto had only one bowl before. "Oi Naruto, you want another bowl, on the house!"

Naruto smiled widely, "Thanks old man, but I think I need to start watching my weight. See you later!" The ramen vendor stared as a deer caught in headlights. Naruto turning down free ramen? It was simply unheard of. He offered a silent prayer that the apocalypse was not coming as Naruto left down the street.

* * *

Sakura moved quickly through the streets in search for her knuckleheaded friend. He wasn't at his house, and Teuchi at the ramen stand had ranted about the end of the world approaching when she asked about Naruto. A confused Sakura then proceeded to search other places where she thought the blond may be. Reaching the bridge that served as a meeting point in the past for team 7, she saw a quiet Naruto staring at the still water. "Naruto! There you are!" He turned to face her. Sakura felt a bit more composed this morning and was sent to find him on her way to meet Tsunade at the hospital. She held a large flower in a small vase which she planned to put where Ino was.. 

Her heart fell slightly, while Naruto did his best to put on his signature grin, responding, "Hello Sakura-chan. That's a beautiful cosmos!" Sakura froze at his words. _Since when does Naruto know flowers from weeds? _

Nodding slightly, "It's for Ino.." She swallowed slightly, a sensitive topic for both of them. "Naruto, you need to come with me to see Tsunade."

He sighed and nodded, she knew he was going to have a tough time explaining the events of yesterday. She squeezed his hand gently as she pulled him toward the hospital.

* * *

Tsunade was investigating Ino herself, as hard as it was. Shivering at a small relapse of the memory of blood that haunted her past. Ino passed away from blood loss more than anything, the spear severing a major artery. The only irregularity she found was that there was a slight dive her chakra impression slightly _before_ she died. This seemed strange, as she couldn't imagine Ino being able to perform any taxing jutsus in this condition. It was only by a few seconds, barely outside the norm - perhaps Naruto's nearby Kyuubi chakra had caused this interference. The Hokage dreaded giving news to the Yamanaka household. They were out on a trip for another week or so, and she didn't have a way to send word. Any service would have to wait for their return. Frowning, she walked out of the room, when she saw the two young shinobi she had opened up more to than anyone. 

"Naruto, Sakura. Are you feeling better today?" They glanced at each other, giving hesitant nods. "Naruto.. I know this must be hard, but I need details of what happened? Just who attacked you, where, and why?"

His face looked pained.. but he nodded and began to answer. "Yes, Tsunade-sama..." _Oh god, Naruto is broken! He was polite to me for once! _His first sentences were lost, as she waited patiently for him to finish. Both he and Sakura were at the edge of tears when he finished. "And that's everything Tsunade-sama."

She nodded.. not liking the sound of that title coming from Naruto. As much as she hated to admit it, she had grown used to him calling her an old woman. She sent them off, as she began to ponder just who attacked her ninjas and why.

* * *

Leaving the hospital, the two ninjas wandered back toward the bridge. A lot was on Sakura's mind. Her observation skills and woman's intuition were beeping wildly, as she glanced over at Naruto. Naruto, wearing purple, somehow upsetting the old man at the ramen stand, identifying flowers, and then being polite to Tsunade? She could not approve of his coping mechanism. "Hey Naruto.. I was thinking." 

He looked at her, grinning despite the events of the past days. "About what forehead?" Both froze upon his finishing of the question.

Sakura only tolerated one person calling her forehead, and it was certainly not Naruto. She felt her anger rise as she cracked her knuckles. Inner Sakura went on a tirade of how Naruto and Ino were bad enough on their own - a combination of the two just wouldn't do. So she did what she always did to get her point across to Naruto to let him know she was annoyed. She socked him, knowing her fist would explain everything.

The poor blond tumbled onto the ground, staring up at the sky in a dazed state. If he felt he could move, he'd thank Sakura for that. All day today he'd have these sudden thoughts come out of no where, putting words into his mouth, or ideas into his head. These nagging thoughts had finally stopped for the last few moments as he lied in a heap, thanks to Sakura's infamous right hook. He started to stand up, as Sakura knelt down to help him, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Thanks Sakura-chan, I needed that."

She stared at him incredulously for a moment, before nodding. "Don't let it happen again." Before giving him a soft smile back. That had to be her favorite thing about Naruto. Even when everything was wrong in the world, he could still make her smile, even if it was briefly.

After parting ways, Naruto found himself back in his apartment. He had a major headache, and Sakura's fist didn't help. He decided it would be best if he attempted to sleep it off.


	3. Chapter 3

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Surrounded by darkness, Ino awoke. Unable to see, she felt around herself, confused at where she was. The ground was cold and hard, the air was thick and humid. She crawled, feeling her hand along the hard floor until she came to a wall, leaning against it, she hugged her knees tightly. _Where the hell am I?_ Terrified, surrounded by the total darkness, she called out. "Is anyone there?" The only answer was a slight reverberation as if she was in a massive cave or tunnel. She rested her head against her knees, trying to recall where she was last before here. A massive headache impeding her thoughts. 

Then it hit her, her memories of the mission with Naruto flooded into her mind. As she recalled the pain, feeling toward her chest. Finding no wound, she thought hard. _Did I die? _She hoped she hadn't, if this was the afterlife it was a dark and lonely place. Her eyes widened, when she realized what she had attempted when Naruto held her. _My jutsu.. did it work? Am I in Naruto's mindscape? Oh god.. if I am, what do I do now? How do I reach him? How can I get out?_

She felt about, as she began to remember her inspiration for her action.

* * *

_A year ago.._

_Inoichi was passing on the next level of the Yamanaka mind-body techniques to his daughter. He smiled at her progress, as she panted, composing herself. Ever since Naruto had left with Jiraiya, he noted that she had become much more astute with the rest of the ninjas of her generation in a desire to learn more and improve. Yet he didn't see her next question coming. "Daddy, do our techniques work on.. people like Naruto?" _

_Inoichi regarded her with a cool expression. Most if not all of Ino's generation of ninja had figured out one way or another that Naruto was the container of the Kyuubi. He thought long, jinchuurikies weren't exactly common, and he had never personally encountered one in a scenario to practice techniques against. His father had, however so he decided with what he knew of Akatsuki from the Hokage, some knowledge may benefit his daughter in the future if she ever came into such a confrontation. _

_"Well, I do not know first hand, but your grandfather had recorded once that during the years leading to the great shinobi war, he engaged with a young jinchuuriki that was just as susceptible, if not more so to our techniques. Though, I think there are some.. differences. It must be as a result of two consciences in one body, as those poor souls who are chosen to contain demons develop a kind of a mindscape as a result, very unlike anyone else's. Apparently they have a mindscape where multiple minds and souls can exist in a sense. Perhaps a fake reality or in depth genjutsu just for your mind would be the best way to explain it."_

_He continued, "Now, I suppose it would depend on the sealing and the demon contained, I have no doubt that there are some combinations out there that would offer a natural resistance to our techniques. However, your grandfather found that entering the jinchuuriki's mindscape itself was quite a trivial matter. But, that does not mean it's safe by any means. While getting in is easy, controlling may or may not be. Especially if the demon can gain control of the host when his emotions are in flux. Ino.. if you ever find yourself using our techniques on a jinchuuriki, please be careful. They have theoretical control over everything that happens within, and who knows how each demon seal works.. That said, your grandfather's account was the mindscape he entered was vast, and his target did not realize he was even in his mind for some time. The size may very well be that of the host's imagination. Who knows for sure?" _

_His expression softened. "Ino, I want you to promise me that you'll try to stick to the disturbance technique if you ever get a jinchuuriki opponent, because entering their mind could be a great risk."_

_Ino thought about what he said, and nodded. "I promise daddy."_

_

* * *

_

The pain was intense, she felt the hole in her chest, as she coughed up blood. She tried to gather chakra in her hand to heal the wound, but found herself unable to mold any. She was vaguely aware of Naruto screaming her name as she felt the vile red chakra of his tenant wash over the area. She felt behind her.. her body was growing numb.. unable to stop the bleeding. She felt her heart grow weaker as her life-force drained slowly. _Oh god I'm going to die._ Naruto quickly appeared by her side. She could hardly hear his words, but the look on his face said it all. She couldn't remember what she said exactly, or if he actually heard her.. As her vision darkened. "..._Apparently they have a mindscape where multiple consciences can exist in a sense..."_ The memory from her past conversation with her father echoed in her mind.. she started to move her hands, in an attempt to escape the pain and inevitable death. She launched her mind and soul into the form holding her and her world sank into oblivion.

* * *

She shuddered as the final memories of her last moments washed over her. Deciding this had to be somewhere inside Naruto, she felt along the wall crawling in the dark. Long minutes of solitude passed, the sound only of her scuffling against the cold ground. When she got out of this, she figured she'd beat the shit out of Naruto for providing her with such a dark and lonely world. Then if he survived, she'd thank him for his.. hospitality, in allowing her sanctuary and thus sparing her life. Then a painful realization came that had her in tears. _My body... am I stuck inside Naruto forever?_ She had to see light, hear a voice, anything to stay sane. She stood up, hand gliding against the wall as she sprinted forward. 

The moments stretched on, she found herself never out of breath despite the pace she set for herself. The tunnel or whatever she was in stretched for what seemed like miles. Then the wall against her hand vanished, and she squawked, before tripping, falling face first into a pool of cool liquid. She shivered involuntarily, climbing out. She thought she must of hit her head, there was a dull _brown _sensation coming up ahead. It hit her. _Light!_ She quickly scrambled for the light, trudging through the icy liquid. She came to a large hallway, bathed in a soft brown glow of eerie torches. Colors seemed distorted here. With a better look of her surroundings, it appeared that wherever she was resembled a sewer. A sewer of all things! She would slap that fool of a boy silly for putting her through this. This ordeal just had to be his fault she affirmed!

* * *

Hours later of trudging through the dank corridors, she saw a great gate. A parchment above read the word seal. She shuddered, knowing what was beyond that. She didn't wish to go any further, or let the great demon know of her presence. Unfortunately, the light was the best here, so she sank down to her knees, and stared at the murky water. Images rippled in the surface. Her eyes widened as she gasped, as she started to see everything as if through Naruto's eyes from the fight and up to what must be the present. 

She couldn't explain how time worked here, what seemed like a days worth of memories felt like only minutes. She found herself in tears, at the state Naruto was in over her at the conclusion of the battle. Seeing her friends and the hokage broken up about it made her feel special, in an eerie way. She hoped she could thank them one day. Then she realized a lot of oddities in the memories. The very un-Naruto like behavior. She couldn't help but giggle that he had called Sakura forehead. _Just my very being here seems to be rubbing off on Naruto on some subconscious level._ She hoped that this was an indication that she might be able to get some sign out to Naruto or the real world, or better yet get in contact with Naruto directly. She sighed, trying to think of her next move.

If the images in the pools were any indication, Naruto was in a deep dreamless slumber. By his memories, he had retired late afternoon, so it may be nearing dusk by this point. She stared deeper into the water, seeing if she could see any thing that could help her, when her surroundings jolted as she squeaked before falling into the glasslike surface, where the world went dark once again.

* * *

Ok, all I have done at this point. Depending how my work week goes, I may or may not have the next chapters done by the end of the week. New to writing, and so we'll see. Perhaps my taste or talent is poor ;p I may even have the next chapter or so out tomorrow. Poor Ino.. but she's easily one of my favorite characters along with Sakura - so she'll find some way out I hope :X 


	4. Chapter 4

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Fear rose in the young Yamanaka. She felt as if she was free falling into a void of total blackness. Yet, it felt as if her very body was gone. She had a dizzy sensation similar to the brief feeling she would sometimes feel as her mind launched into the body of another. Her entire being tingled - akin to being tickled everywhere at once by an ongoing, but light static jolt. Her mind couldn't fathom how she felt it or could describe the feeling, because she was dimly aware she didn't seem to have a body whatsoever at that moment. Ino would have shrieked at the top of her lungs if she could. The sensation continued for seconds that felt like hours, when she suddenly felt a bubbling warmth enveloped her. 

Ino felt like she was suddenly dunked into a pool of lukewarm water. She reflexively attempted to gasp for breath – very surprised when she succeeded. Her eyes shot open and her hands braced in front of her. Her vision swam, and she felt nauseous with the monster of all migraines forming. Quickly closing her eyes, she heaved a large breath while collapsing backward on a soft, yet lumpy surface. _Just what in the world is happening?_ The dizzy spell slowly went away, as she started to open her eyes slowly, thrusting a hand in front of her to block what appeared to be a sunbeam from her sight. Slowly she began to observe her surroundings.

Her senses seemed skewed as she dumbly processed the hand in front of her face. It seemed larger than she remembered, and rougher. She prided herself as a ninja who had relatively soft, unscarred hands. While this hand was indeed unscarred, it seemed dry and coarse. And the nails.. Her usually neatly trimmed nails looked almost as if they were gnawed off, with flakes of dirt pressed within. _Is this really my hand?_ She sluggishly thought, waving the hand in front of her. Realization dawned with a vengeance, as she screamed. Where she expected her normally shrill and high voice to resound across the small room, was a deeper and rougher shriek grating her ears. Whimpering, trying to compose herself, she sat up, and looked about herself before realizing her worst fear. _I'm Naruto!!_

* * *

Shaking at the thought, Ino started crawled off the lumpy mattress only to ungracefully land on her face with a thump. Her arms and legs felt like they were filled with sawdust, as she tried pushing herself off of the ground only to tumble back onto the hard floor. Cursing up a storm that'd make Orochimaru blush, she finally rose to her wobbly legs. She took a deep breath, balancing herself. She felt like a toddler learning to walk for the first time, consciously thinking of every slight movement to keep steady. Apparently this was a side effect of her jutsu causing her to abandon her original body. _My body! Oh god, what am I going to do?_

She stumbled toward the mirror, dragging her now larger hands down her face. _I always wondered what those whiskers felt like. _She thought as she ran her fingers down the slightly stiff lines of her cheeks. She held back a fit of giggles; apparently Naruto was inexplicably ticklish there. She filed that information away for later, not really wondering why.

Regaining composure and getting used to walking once again, she cast her eyes around the small apartment. She saw it briefly in Naruto's memories of the day before, but hadn't yet thought twice about it. It wasn't messy by any means, but nor did it feel like a home. The bed was pressed up against one side, while a small kitchenette resided at the opposite side of the room. Two stools stood under a stout ruddy table. An open door revealed a modest bathroom next to a shallow closet. There was little else to enhance the appearance of the room. She knew Naruto had lived alone his entire life, but not that he lived so modestly. This apartment resembled a small nest where he would just crash at night, and not a place where the ramen loving fool lived. Ino began to make mental notes on improvements and where a bit of color or a piece of new furniture would liven up the place. Nodding to herself, she decided that when she got out of this mess, she'd start a project to help the poor knucklehead out. She had a certain passion for interior design, and Naruto's apartment definitely needed a woman's touch. Besides, she decided it's the least she could do for him for _graciously granting_ her a ride in his mind and body.

Finally adjusted to walking without tripping over herself, she felt the need to use the quaint restroom. No sooner had she stepped into the bathroom, that she cursed herself for not thinking ahead now finding herself very uncomfortable with the curious situation. A few embarrassing minutes later - in which she learned Naruto's boisterous attitude was most definitely not compensating for a lack in other departments - had Ino vowing to never get herself in this dilemma again. Walking back into the main room of the apartment, she thanked the skies she was a ninja and could transform to another form to avoid thinking about the discomfort of _being_ Naruto.

Performing the hand signs, and gathering the chakra seemed more difficult than it should have been. Molding chakra in Naruto's body gave her the impression she was trying to grasp something dense and heavy, that slid through her hand as if it was oil. Her normal chakra felt taut and prickly as she channeled it, but this was warm - like an intense flame oscillating between too much and too little. _Is this the effect of the Kyuubi and his abnormally high chakra?_ She was frustrated, but not about to give up. She repeated old concentration exercises her generation had learned from Iruka at the academy. Finally getting the spark she successfully completed the basic transformation.

She beamed an ecstatic smile in the mirror as she was greeted by her familiar reflection. _I need to let them know I'm not dead! Wait.. what happens if Naruto wakes up? I must get my body fixed fast!_ Deliberating her possible options, she decided it'd be best to see the Hokage herself with her problem. Reaching for the door, she froze. If anyone who knew she was 'dead' saw a healthy Ino walking through the street, ninja or not could cause unwanted emotional trauma. Deciding that some form of subtlety would be best she pondered canceling the transformation to go as Naruto. He always seemed inexplicably chummy with the Hokage – she couldn't understand personally why Tsunade put up with him so much, and seemed to regard him affectionately underneath a rough front. No, going as Naruto could cause too many problems if she ran into anyone. She didn't want to explain what happened – who'd believe her at point blank like that? She still felt slightly uncomfortable in Naruto's body, and _acting_ like him definitely did not make that an attractive option. Mumbling she sank to a sitting position on the bed, pondering what she could do. _Sexy jutsu! _Snapping her fingers, she grinned at her idea. Naruto's first original jutsu would actually be _useful_ for once. She performed the signs she had remembered him using back at their original genin exam and was greeted by the pleasantly nude figure of a female Naruto. _Shit, I knew it wouldn't be this easy. _

She checked his closet to see if just in case Naruto may of experimented – hey, he invented a technique to parade about as a naked woman for crying out loud – in cross dressing. Finding nothing, left Ino both relieved and disappointed. Perhaps she could visit her apartment - it was on the way - and wear her own clothes for this excursion to see the Hokage. She peeked out the window, and a small clock on the wall. It was early evening and Sakura had work off as a result of her situation, so she couldn't expect her to be at the hospital. Not knowing how much time she'd have before Naruto woke up; she decided she couldn't risk explaining this to a volatile Haruno. She had to take a gamble. Transforming into Sakura, she quickly made way to the apartment she shared with her pink-haired best friend.

* * *

Naruto's physical power was astounding. While he lacked any semblance of grace, he made up for with raw endurance. She moved as quickly as she could, leaping and dashing toward her complex, arriving without even the slightest shortness of breath. Carefully checking to see if the real Sakura was in, the Yamanaka glanced about to see if anyone was on the street below. Seeing no lights on in the place, she opened her window slipping in. Ino resumed the sexy jutsu once again, and stripped off Naruto's jumpsuit. Gathering a bundle out of her closet, she entered the bathroom and slipped on another of her favorite outfits. 

Looking in the mirror she admired her figure. She hated to admit it, but Naruto's female form rivaled her own. Perhaps she'd try putting her hair in a similar fashion. Finishing up getting dressed, she knew this wasn't the time to be vain. This had to do. While many in the town would recognize a female Naruto, she doubted anyone would recognize a _dressed_ female Naruto in purple. Sliding the window shut behind her, Ino leapt to the road heading toward the Hokage tower.

* * *

Dun dun dun.. Going into this detail is tough. I expect the next chapter will be the most difficult to write (but perhaps the most entertaining if I can pull what I have in mind off effectively). I will probably have it posted either late tonight or tomorrow. 


	5. Chapter 5

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Wanting to avoid any chance encounters with anyone on the way up the Hokage tower, Ino scrambled up the wall heading straight for the window of Tsunade's office. She figured the blonde Hokage could forgive her given the circumstances for dropping in unannounced. 

It must have been the Naruto in her that caused her to snicker seeing the leader of the leaf village face mashed in her paperwork with a tendril drool hanging down her lip. Several discarded sake bottles lay scattered about the desk. The bottles appeared to be empty as the tipped over ones had only the slightest dribble on the cluttered surface. Waking with a start at the coarse snicker, Tsunade wheeled around ready to punch the living daylights out of a possible attacker. Ino squeaked jumping back putting her hands up, "Tsunade-sama wait!!"

* * *

Tsunade's eyes still thick with sleep, slowly regarded the young woman in front of her. The first thing she noticed was the purple two-piece normally associated only with Ino – no other kunoichi of her age dressed quite as skimpy. She must be dreaming, shaking her head she eyed over the girl more closely carefully studying the features of her face. _Are those whiskers?_ Her head pounded with a vicious head ache, as if a dozen of Gai's were enthusiastically prancing about screaming of the fires of the spirit of youth. Glancing at the pile of sake bottles she wondered if this was an effect of the alcohol. _Whiskers... Naruto?_ Anger started to bubble within her, if Naruto was parading about in Ino's clothes waking her up from her nap and thought he could get away with it – he had another thing coming. 

"Naruto... you'd better have a damn good explanation." Cracking her knuckles the blonde hokage approached a trembling female Naruto. "Or hope that you really are a hallucination."

The Naruto in front of her took a deep breath. "This may be hard to believe, but I'm Ino."

Tsunade blinked. Trying to absorb what she took in. Remembering the condition she saw Ino in. Deciding to try and give _Naruto_ the benefit of the doubt. "This better not be some prank, go on."

Naruto fidgeted, rubbing his?/her hands together nervously. "Well umm... on the mission, when I got hit..." She looked uncomfortable, with a visible pained expression on her face. "I knew I wouldn't make it. I used a variation of my family's mind body switch to send my entire mind into Naruto and cut off the link with my body."

The hokage began to process, slowly remembering the chakra irregularity she discovered while investigating Ino's body. That could be the cause. Taking a relieved breath, she smiled at her not-quite-dead student. "Well, I'm relieved that you're um..." Thinking, Ino's corpse at the forefront of her mind... "not totally dead. But this is a problem, there's no jutsu I have that can restore your body back to life." Her face fell, as she fumbled about for possible solutions over the Gai-grade headache. "Only Orochimaru has dabbled in that type of vile technique."

The Naruto, no, Ino in front of her looked saddened at this. "But Tsunade-sama, is there anything we can do? I can't go around trapped in Naruto forever! How will I stay sane?"

Suddenly Tsunade's headache didn't seem quite so bad, compared to the thought of being stuck in that hyperactive knuckleheaded ninjas mind for any period of time. Shuddering at her student's dilemma, she began to think. "Perhaps since your soul and mind are still _alive_ we won't need a technique like Orochimaru's. But this won't be easy, and I still can't begin to think of a way to get your body living AND you into it. The best I can offer now is to put it under some kind of stasis, so when we have what we need." She hadn't the foggiest when, if ever that would be.

Ino mumbled, "Ugh... being stuck in Naruto… I'm not even sure how I got control in the first place. My best guess is when he went to sleep I somehow triggered control in his mind. Tsunade-sama… what about our friends?" She animatedly began waving her hands, "And how do I tell Naruto? 'Oh thanks for letting me live in your head?' He doesn't even know I'm here!" Pressing her hands in her face the young girl sank to a seat caving at the stress.

Tsunade thought; never had anything remotely similar to this ever occurred. "The only people who know you... _died_ are Shizune, myself, Naruto, Sakura, and your teammates. The last two have not seen your body. It'd probably be the best if most people did not know of your current living arrangement for a while. Fortunately we can pass this off that you are out of town on a mission or some such, while the people who think you're _dead_ will have to be informed. Though come to think of it, who knows how Naruto would react to someone in his head. Err... have you had any confrontation with his... _tenant?_"

Ino shook her head. "I definitely saw the seal, but I didn't approach it. As far as I know his _tenant_ does not know I am also in his mind."

An unwelcome thought occurred to the Hokage. "There could be a problem with his _tenant_ and his knowledge of your stay. I do not know much about how the seal reacts to his mind, but if what Naruto learns should also be learned by..."

Ino audibly gulped. "So we don't tell Naruto right now? I wonder if he sees what I'm doing with his body now... Ugh this is so confusing" The young blonde shrieked and stomped about, causing Tsunade to raise her eyebrow at what she'd of expected from Naruto, not the normally passive in her presence Ino. "And I don't begin to know how to tell Sakura... awkward!!"

Sighing, "I'll tell her and your teammates tomorrow. You better get back to Naruto's house. Who knows when he'll wake up? And Ino, I promise I'll do everything I can to find a way to get you back to normal," she said with what she could muster up as a reassuring smile.

Ino cheered loudly at this, jumping about, disrupting Naruto's sexy technique. Tsunade felt sick at the scene of a skimpily dressed male Naruto prancing about cheering in a miniskirt. Her eye twitched and she felt nauseous. _Ahhhh! I'm scarred for life!_ As Naru-Ino jumped out the window (still in male form - there really did seem to be some marring of their personalities), the hokage thought about gouging her own eyes out. _Naruto does NOT have the legs for a miniskirt. _Feeling her brain melt, a mentally traumatized Tsunade searched for a non empty sake bottle in hopes of killing her brain cells and forgetting the horrors she had witnessed.

* * *

Down on the street, after receiving a few stares from villagers Ino quickly realized that the technique had dropped. Embarrassed and blushing to a color matching Sakura's hair, she jumped into an alley and refreshed her disguise. _Oh god, I left Naruto's clothes at my apartment!_ Deciding it would be very bad for Sakura to discover Naruto's clothes in her bathroom, she rushed toward her place. 

A relieved sigh escaped her lips, as she saw the lights still weren't on. _Yes! Sakura isn't home yet. _Quickly entering through the window, Ino went to gather Naruto's clothes, cursing herself for forgetting them in the first place. Getting ready to exit the apartment, she glanced into Sakura's open room and began to zone out. Her mind drawing a blank as to what she was doing. A minute later, Ino was dimly aware when she was holding a neatly folded pair of pink panties from a pile of laundry on the edge of Sakura's bed. Hell soon broke loose when she heard a loud gasp behind her...

* * *

Sakura had decided to eat dinner at her mother's today. She hadn't spent much time with her since Ino and her moved into the apartment, and took advantage of her support during this recent tragedy. Coming up to her apartment, she fumbled with the lock opening the door. Light from down the small hallway spilled into the foyer. _I must have left a light on when I left_. Shutting the door behind her, Sakura walked toward her room. _A nice shower and an early night sounds good right now. _Yawning as she turned down the hall to her room. Her jaw dropped when she saw what appeared to be a sexy-jutsu Naruto (wearing Ino's clothes no less) was examining her panties in detail while holding a wadded bundle of his clothes in the other. Letting out a gasp as Inner-Sakura began to throw a tantrum calling for blood of the infidel, the medic pointed at the offender. 

"NA-RU-TO!!!! You PERVERT!" Cracking her knuckles she stalked toward the shocked blonde. "Wearing Ino's clothes? First you call me forehead now this? It's time for an intervention!!" Her eyes burned with her anger as she planned to send her teammate into orbit.

"Wait forehead, I can explain!" Ino didn't have time to regret her poor choice of words as Sakura's fist collided into her gut. Gasping, Ino stepped back; the pink panties wadded up into the bundle of Naruto's clothes where they were forgotten as she held her stomach with her other hand. Sakura wasn't hesitating, and was about to finish the blonde with the next hit, when something happened that never did before.

Naruto grabbed her wrist, and stopped her from hitting him. Dazed at the action, her rampage temporarily halted. Ever since they were twelve, it was almost an unspoken agreement - she hit Naruto, he was hit, he felt pain. Letting the moment pass, she stared into the offender's eyes as she jerked her wrist from the grip. "Sakura calm down! It's not what you think!"

Too annoyed to notice the difference from Naruto's usual speech patterns, the rose-haired kunoichi stomped her foot. She took a deep breath. "I'll give you one minute. This had better be good," she stated in an icy tone.

Naruto tensed, and appeared to be searching for words. "Ok forehead... I don't know an easier way to say this but... I _am_ Ino. I used a technique to go into Naruto, and there are certain complications and all with my body being... ya know _dead_," she haughtily explained.

_Is that even possible?_ Tears began to form in Sakura's eyes, as she catapulted forward to hug her best friend, forgetting about her panties. Ino's circumstances didn't change much - while escaping the fate of Sakura's right hook, she was now being squeezed to death. "Ack, foooreheeead loo-sen up, ca-an't bre-ath!!"

Wiping her eyes, Sakura giggled and smiled. "It has to be you; Naruto wouldn't complain if I hugged him to death. I'm uh... sorry for trying to kill you. I thought you were Naruto being perverted."

Ino giggled in reply, "Well forehead, we'll have to catch up later. Tsunade-sama will fill you in on the details. I'm afraid I'm stuck for a while, and I don't even know when and if I ever get control of his body like this again... Oh and don't tell anyone, Naruto especially. Tsunade-sama seems to think it may trigger something from the fox." She said in all seriousness.

Sakura nodded slowly, "It's so good to hear you're alive, Ino-pig."

* * *

After exchanging good byes, Ino had left to return to Naruto's apartment. Deciding to hide her clothes here under a genjutsu, which should easily fool Naruto. She reluctantly got dressed back into Naruto's clothes. They were much too warm and confining for her tastes, but they were a necessary evil. She then dispelled his technique and settled back uncomfortably once again in his male form. She went to lie on the bed and see if she could return to sleep. Slumber came far easier than she knew was possible, and she felt as if she was falling into darkness once again. She hadn't noticed the pink edge of Sakura's underwear poking through the right sleeve of her shirt.

* * *

A/N: Not sure it came out as well as I hoped, but eh we'll see. The next chapter is going to be even trickier, too. Should have it done by tomorrow. 


	6. Chapter 6

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here 

* * *

The early morning light dimly lit Sakura's room. Waking peacefully to the slow glow, the young woman cast off her covers and glanced out the window. While she had slept much more peacefully Ino's revelation last night, her mind now occupied a new train of thought. She knew it would be wrong to keep Naruto in the dark about this; he valued his friends above his own life. However, the fox always complicated things for him. Perhaps she could talk Tsunade into letting Naruto know that Ino was alive… just not where she was. It wouldn't be right to have him wallow in grief – depression did not suit the lovable oaf.

She had long since promised to herself to do what was reasonably in her power to help make her returned teammate happy, after learning the horrors of his past. As much as she tried not to admit it, his steadfast determination, bubbly personality, and kind heart had gradually shown her how foolish she had acted toward him and Sasuke in the past. Naruto had no family and strove for attention, living a lonely childhood of delinquency – negative attention was better than no attention. She cursed herself for letting her first impression of the brash, annoying, foolish klutz he was cloud her mind and blind her to all the good qualities he seemed to have in developed in spades now. _Developed? Who am I kidding? He's changed the least of all of us. Well, excluding physically anyway…_ He had grown quite attractive, and she was giddy in that he still threw her all his attention. Thinking of their situation, the medic reviewed her relationship with her teammate. Upon his return, they had little time just to themselves. Where Konoha seemed relatively peaceful and quiet in his absence; his return beckoned a new development, threats, or horror of the past reappear almost weekly. _It's as if the village revolves around him._ The past missions of rescuing Gaara and their encounter with Sasuke replayed in her mind. She always felt herself tear up, remembering how Akatsuki were hell bent on _harvesting_ her friend; and Sasuke crushed Naruto's spirit more than he ever did hers. _We still have to save him, for his and Naruto's sakes especially. I will be there for you, Naruto._

Sakura continued her musings as she got ready for the day, dressing and taking a bite out of an apple after a brief shower. She had already decided she'd give him a date the next time he asked – which hadn't been a while now, but she expected that was from recent events. She finished the apple, realizing a potential problem for her plans with Naruto. She tossed the apple core into the trash angrily. _Shit! Ino is in Naruto! This ruins everything! Shannaro!_ It'd be decidedly awkward to do something with Naruto on that level while her best friend inhabited him. She snarled and smashed the end of the unfortunate small wooden table. Something always occurred at the worst time, making her life needlessly complicated. Calming herself, she ignored Inner-Sakura who in the back of her mind continued to rant and encourage her to devastate the small apartment. _I'll have to deal with that as it comes, Naruto can wait a bit longer I suppose – he has so far._ With a frown, the young Haruno went to see her master about the situation.

* * *

Minutes later, Sakura knocked quietly on Tsunade's door. Hearing a low groan, she turned the knob and entered the office slowly. "Tsunade-shishou?" 

The hokage groggily pushed up from her desk, and began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Sakura could only guess her teacher had slept on her desk after what appeared to be a long night of drinking. Frowning at the Hokage's less redeemable habits, Sakura sighed and waited for the elder kunoichi to come to her senses. She could have sworn she heard her master whimper something about making some idiot in a skirt go away.

Gathering her bearings, Tsunade eventually turned to her apprentice. "Ah... um good morning Sakura." She adopted a pensive look and a short pause later she continued, "Well I have good news of sorts... Ino is not quite dead but..."

"She's in Naruto," Sakura finished. Tsunade nodded slowly.

"So you found out, well that makes it easier. I will call Shikamaru and Chouji here shortly and tell them the same. If anyone else is looking for Ino, I'll say she's uh, on a long mission" She finished with a nod at her own idea. "You know not to tell Naruto I trust? It could be a problem for Ino if his _tenant_ finds out he is sharing the boy as a vessel."

Sakura nodded, "But Tsunade-shishou, I agree that we can't tell Naruto Ino is _in_ him, but… it would be unfair to him of all people to continue thinking she's gone when she isn't."

Tsunade regarded her apprentice with a scrutinizing gaze. "Very well, but you will be the one to tell him. Just do not reveal too much. Now if you excuse me, I need to freshen up; this hangover is killing me." Sakura nodded and departed to begin her day.

In another part of town in an old rundown apartment, a refreshed Naruto began to stretch. Glancing at his small clock his eyes widened when observed it was morning. _Crap I meant to just take a nap. Those were the oddest dreams last night…_He couldn't remember any of them clearly, beyond that he ran around the village stuck in a miniskirt. Shivering and dismissing it as a nightmare to his masculinity, he raised his hand over his face to stifle a loud yawn. Some soft substance brushed against his face during his yawn, and he pulled his hand back. His eyes then quickly widened in horror at the pair of pink panties clenched in his hand. _Where the hell did these come from?_ He screamed in his mind as he fell out off his bed.

The confused Kyuubi-container looked about his room for an explanation. Finding nothing, he assumed a sitting thinking position staring at the article of clothing in question set beside him on the bed. _Just what is going on! _Straining his mind to think, he tried to remember anything unusual before his nap. _Whaaat?! I turned down free ramen?_ _Am I going crazy, or getting sick?_ Focusing his eyes on the pink undergarments, he came to one conclusion. _These are Sakura's, I recognize them from when we were training and the side of her shorts ripped. _He blushed at the memory, before redoubling his efforts to stay serious and figure just what in the hell was wrong with him. _Did I do something to Sakura? Oh god she's going to kill me! Maybe I was sleep walking…_ He assumed a lecherous grin that'd make Jiraiya proud at his next idea, _or perhaps she visited me_. Furrowing his brow, he certainly hoped that wasn't it – he would have hated not remembering something like that. No, that wouldn't fit the other circumstances of his awakening. He was still fully dressed, and his enhanced senses detected no scents of a recent visitor. He wracked his mind to just _why and how_ he woke up holding a pair of Sakura's underwear.

An hour later, the Uzumaki remained in the dark of how he acquiring garment despite his long and difficult efforts to concentrate. Changing gears, he began to focus on about _what_ to do with it. He could certainly keep it - Jiraiya's influence on him screamed that would be for the best – but did she know it was missing? He could offer to return it, but again – how did he get it in the first place? He winced at each action could result in her socking him. _I am so screwed. _Maybe he'd sneak into her house later and deposit them in her room, which seemed the safest solution – avoiding any direct confession or questioning confrontation. If she came to him asking about her panties, well he'd cross that bridge when it came. Getting ready for the day, he neatly folded his crush's underwear and tucked it into kunai pouch. He was going to have lunch at his favorite ramen stand, and this time nothing would stop him from eating his fill.

* * *

After enduring the darkness of having no tangible form once again, Ino found herself once again in the familiar chambers that proved to be Naruto's mindscape. _That feeling is terrible!_ Being thrust through darkness with that tingling sensation was definitely on the bottom of her 'to do again soon' list. Unfortunately she imagined that she'd have to go through with it at least a few times more. Succumbing to the depressing thought, she looked around the stone chamber. It appeared she was near the same area as before. The gate that marked the Kyuubi's seal was just ahead, and the reflective water-like substance filled the indentation of the floor below her. Gazing into the surface images that must have been Naruto's sight unfolded before her eyes. She gasped when she saw Sakura's panties in Naruto's hand. _Ack, how could I be so foolish and forget those!_ _His damn curious subconscious had me pick them up in the first place! _She could sense Naruto's confusion as if it seeped through the very walls. 

She didn't have much experience of outright _feeling_ the emotion of another, so this would take some getting used to. She continued to sit in silence, growing bored, as Naruto seemed to be staring intently at the article of clothing to what felt like hours. _What a little pervert. I'm going to beat the stuffing out of him when I get out of this. _His emotions seemed to fluctuate from confusion, to a brief perverted glee, then a mild panic. Finally, she watched as he folded them and put them in his pouch. _What a foolish place to put those. That's going to bite him later. _She almost felt pity for the fox, being enslaved in Naruto for the rest of its life – almost felt. This thought did however have her realize that her fate was now intertwined to Naruto, and it was well within her best interests if he stayed healthy. Wondering if she could have any stronger influence on his actions she paced about the hall, occasionally looking into the surface.

She didn't like the dark; especially when alone when it was deathly quiet. In his mindscape, her breathing seemed unnecessary, and her form in the mindscape seemed to do it out of habit if anything. Nor did she seem to require any sustenance. There wasn't truly air or light in this place, it seemed more or less a bizarre world cooked up by something's imagination. Why it took the form of dark, stone corridors was beyond her. She wondered if that was the influence of the seal and Kyuubi, as opposed to what Naruto himself created. She sat on her rump, leaning down to the surface, her boredom and curiosity got the best of her. Last time when she fell into the surface she awoke as Naruto. Ino not liking to leave things unsolved then dipped her hand into the liquid.

Images flowed into her mind, and broken fragments of thoughts and ideas swirled around her. Focusing on one of them, she was pleasantly surprise as the others died down – the fragment seemed to snap into place, and taking a more complete shape – if you will - becoming a clear picture in her mind. _This must be a memory. I always did want to know just what made him tick I suppose. _With Naruto going through his boring morning and lunch routine, Ino despite believing her action to be beyond invasive, decided to entertain herself with watching the autobiography of Naruto through his own memories.

Ino felt as if she was truly each one. His pain, emotions and thoughts themselves seemed to form around her like a crust. All his sensations and thoughts seemed to indirectly channel into her. The fascinated kunoichi began to view just what made kind of a life he lived and what made him Naruto.

* * *

Ino had never had the chance to truly get to know her fellow blond. Much to her chagrin, he had always chased after Sakura in the days of the academy, and like virtually everyone else in her class save Hinata, she thought he was a hyperactive twit with no real future as a shinobi. It wasn't until she witnessed his fight against Neji that her opinion of him started to change. She wouldn't of believed it if she hadn't seen it for herself, but of course in those days she did not know about the kyuubi. Nonetheless, she developed a grudging respect for Naruto - he had long since surpassed her on the path of the shinobi. Of all the Konoha-11 she was pretty sure she had the fewest missions with him, but the few were fond memories. It seemed their personalities naturally drew on each other; causing both parties to tease in a round about fashion. Though anyone would never guess, she quite enjoyed his company. His very presence brightened whatever setting he was in. She absorbed his more important memories as a sponge. She felt emotions ranging from his devious cunning of his fighting style, to the pain of his heart when he fought to save another from his or her own loneliness. It fascinated her that he was able to stand up to - and in many cases beat - opponents that were so far out of his league. Coming to the day the Sandaime Hokage died, Ino was stunned to learn that he beat Gaara single-handedly. She couldn't help but feel jealous that an unconscious Sakura triggered such a strong determination to repeatedly return to his feet throughout the epic fight. 

Upset that Sakura had a fan boy of this magnitude; Ino used this opportunity and attempted to sift through the memories to see if she could get an idea of just what Naruto thought of Yamanaka Ino. Worry and doubt began to gnaw at her mind as the memories came. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised when the random memories seemed to only show that he had some desire to get to know her better as she him. While most of his dreams and idle thoughts centered on Sakura, he thought Ino was quite cute for "not being Sakura-chan." He even had a few random fantasies scattered about his life and trip with Jiraiya. She felt heat rise in her cheeks upon viewing a seemingly random dream he had involving Sakura and herself in a compromising position in a field of flowers. _Even his imagination is hyperactive, that pervert!_ She thought wistfully, though the butterflies in her stomach had her thinking that it really was a _good_ dream. Fighting her blush down, she felt a wave of exhaustion roll over her.

Drawing back from the surface, the sensations and memories faded from her mind. Ino began to ponder in silence about this learning experience. _I feel as though I've just scratched the surface_._ Naruto... you just keep getting more amazing. Sakura and I were fools to let a petty crush on Sasuke blind us to everything else. _Drained, she laid back; absorbing memories like this was mentally exhausting and examining this many had taken its toll on her mind. Lazily, the Yamanaka began to categorize them in her mind, turning toward the reflective pool occasionally to view what Naruto was up to at the present.


	7. Chapter 7

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here 

* * *

Naruto departed the Ichiraku stand with content smile. Nothing quite beat a hearty meal of his favorite ramen, especially since the old man insisted he have several bowls on the house. _The old man was sure acting strange, not that I can complain though about free ramen! _Remembering his mission - he decided it couldn't be less than S-ranked due to the great risk of bodily harm and potentially his untimely demise - he swallowed nervously before firming his resolve and marching toward Sakura's apartment.

* * *

On the way to find her teammate after meeting with the Hokage, Sakura was headed to the first place to look for Naruto when he wasn't training - the ramen stand. _Damn it I can't think of how to tell him. Shannaro this is hard! _Distracted by her deep thought, she didn't notice him in time to stop herself from walking into him upon turning a corner. With a loud clunk her forehead met his chin, sending both teenagers holding both the various spots of their respective heads. Both muttered an "Ow!" when they realized just who they bumped into. 

Panic swelled in the pink-haired girl. _I'm so not ready for this! _"Uh... sorry Naruto, I was a bit distracted there." She nervously threw out, gently rubbing her bruised forehead forgetting her status as a medic-nin.

Naruto carefully nursed his chin, "No problem um Sa-Sakura-chan. I - um - should look out while turning corners!"

Sakura raised her eyebrow at the stuttering Naruto. _Now why the hell is he nervous? Sigh I guess I'll play it by ear. _"Naruto... I have to tell you something important." She didn't understand the look of utter terror on his face upon saying that, so she blurted out. "Ino's not dead!"

Naruto blinked. Twice. Letting out what appeared to be a deep relieved sigh replaced the fearful look, causing Sakura's 'something is wrong meter' to spiral into the critical range. Then he seemed to realize what she had said, eyes widening he began to shout, "Wait... Whaaaaaaat? How on earth can THAT be Sakura-chan?"

_Shit since when did Naruto become so inquisitive._ "Um well, you see, she got better?" Inner-Sakura deflated like torn balloon as the words came out of her mouth.

Naruto stared at her dumbly. "Really? That's great! If Sakura-chan says she got better then it must be true. Can we go see her then?"

Sakura wasn't sure if she should feel guilty and be touched at his complete trust in her, or ranting at his apparent stupid gullibility. Inner-Sakura attempted both, failing miserably. _Well I guess I didn't totally lie to him. _"Sorry Naruto, but no visitors. Not even I'm allowed to see her." He nodded slowly, and he did look as if a great weight was off his shoulders. She had the day off and knew Naruto wasn't busy, so perhaps this could be a good opportunity to spend some time with him. "Say Naruto, would you like to train for a bit?"

"Sure Sakura-chan!" He cheerfully replied, as they made their way to the familiar training grounds. They found they were not alone though.

An enthusiastic Lee sprinted over to greet them. "Good day Naruto-kun, Sakura-san! It's great to see you on this most youthful day!" Both ninjas replied heartily greeting their spandex wearing friend. "Say Naruto, I was looking for you. I wanted practice against dodging ranged weaponry for sparring with Tenten, and you are all I could think of to help. Would you have a minute?"

Naruto glanced at Sakura with a shrug of his shoulders. "Go ahead Naruto; this should be interesting to watch." She smiled, lightly pushing her friend toward the ground.

"Get ready Fuzzybrows, I'll use the Uzumaki Naruto no-escape shuriken technique!" Both ninjas squared off, as Naruto performed his signature clone technique. Dozens of orange wearing shinobi ringed around the green beast of Konoha.

"Yosh, don't hold back Naruto-kun!" With that Naruto and his army of clones reached into their respective kunai pouches and quickly whipped out a shuriken toward the Gai-look alike.

_Oh my god is that??_ Sakura gasped loudly her cheeks turning the same color as her shirt. Naruto's clones quickly dispersed as he gaped openly at the sight. A stunned Lee dodged the projectiles on instinct alone as the air was filled with _pink_.

Apparently stuffing cloth panties into a kunai pouch was not the most intelligent think Naruto has done in his shinobi career. Perhaps it was his single most stupid mistake, which would probably cost him his life. Who'd of thought blindly reaching into one's ammo pouch could be such a fatal mistake? All three present stared in disbelief as frilly pink undergarments - one for each clone and shuriken thrown - blew about in the wind simulating some bizarre display of what one might expect when sakura trees are in blossom. To make matters worse, several other members of the Konoha 11 - namely team 8 and team Gai - happened to arrive at the training ground at that moment.

For the first time in her life at some dramatic event - Inner-Sakura was silent, stunned beyond reason. Sakura felt she'd die of embarrassment - it's not every day a kunoichi has her undergarments cloned a hundred times then thrown to the wind for all her friends to see. Lee fainted in a pile of pink cloth. What came next was a bizarre silence as the young ninja all stared dumbly at what they had witnessed.

It was Kiba that broke the silence. "What the hell is going on here?! Are those?" He doubled over with laughter, "Man Naruto, I never thought you'd be doing panty raids. This has to be your best prank yet."

The expressions were manifold. The usually reserved Neji had a glint of mirth dance in his white eyes. Hinata mumbled with a deep blush "Naruto-kun..." Tenten's eye twitched, glad it wasn't her clothing displayed to the world. Most surprising of all was the usually stoic and quiet Shino bursting out laughing. Some of those present weren't sure to be more shocked at his display of emotion or Sakura's panties clones riding the wind.

_Did Kiba say panty raid and prank?_ Something within Sakura snapped. Prank or not, Naruto still did this to her. He would not see daybreak if she had anything to say. _Shannaro! _Inner Sakura recovered and grew fangs at the thought of tearing the blond limb from limb. "Na-ru-to!!!"

Konoha's most surprising ninja quickly got over the shock of what he had accidentally done upon hearing Sakura scream his name in THAT tone. He could swear he could hear a shrill and feminine laughter echo in the back of his mind. He glanced over his friends seeing the odd mix of reactions, finally resting his eyes on a very red and fuming Sakura. He wasn't sure if she was red from embarrassment or anger as she made her way toward him in a walk that promised death if her fist connected.

His fox-like survival instinct kicked in, as he created several clones, which proceeded to scatter in all directions leaving a furious Sakura in the company of the other nins. With quick excuses, stammers, and giggles, all of them (save Lee) disappeared from the pissed Hokage's apprentice. _When I find him I'm going to kill him!_ _Shannaro!_ Sakura stalked toward home.

Minutes later, the training field remained quiet after the many garment clones dispelled. A still fainted Lee would leave the event with a consolation prize of Sakura's original panties draped across his face.

* * *

My shortest chapter yet, but who could see THAT coming? Now that would be the prank of all pranks (had he did it deliberately)! Poor Sakura - and will Naruto survive? I'm not sure yet. This idea came to me spur of the moment - eh winging it has it's benefits! The next update might be a day or two as I get a few plans in order. Enjoy. 


	8. Chapter 8

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here 

* * *

A frantic Naruto paced about in the forest near the scene of the crime. He figured this would be one of the last places Sakura would look for him. _I can't believe that happened! I blame Fuzzybrows!_ _Sakura is going to kill me._ The panicking jinchuuriki knew he could not avoid the wrath of the rose-haired nin for long; they were teammates and friends after all. She also happened to know where he lived. The situation would prove fatal if she snuck up on him or attacked before he could plead his case. Grumbling, he concentrated on finding a way to apologize and survive the encounter exiting the dense foliage of the trees.

With his searching for an answer to his pleas proving futile, he groaned in frustration before looking toward the ground. He looked at the smooth, grassy, rolling hills that surrounded him. A multitude of colors of various flowers seemed in bloom. While most flowers bloom in the spring, Fire Country's climate and local vegetation had several flowers native to the Konoha blossomed year round except the dead of winter. He wasn't sure why he knew that, but as he glanced down at the plethora of colors, an idea occurred.

He tore at different flowers, fashioning together a makeshift bouquet. He wasn't accustomed to picking flowers, and this proved more difficult as he maimed many in the process. After much frustration, his dirt stained hands held a collage of the flowers he managed to not totally destroy during extraction. The bundle of blossoms he chose based on what he thought meant "I'm sorry" "It was an accident" and "I _really_ like you". Rubbing his head confused, this seemed to be another of those strange things happening lately. In the past, be it herb, flower, or weed – it was all a plant to Naruto. Now he was finding himself interpreting messages behind his creation. He must be going crazy. Deciding it at least _looked_ nice, and similar to the other bouquets he had seen, it might just by him some time to calm Sakura when she found him..

At the very least, he could throw it at her, to buy some time to escape.

* * *

Having broke several boulders, logs, and fences on her way home to vent her frustration and appease Inner-Sakura's lust for destruction, the Haruno slammed the door behind her, and slumped unceremoniously on her couch. _Naruto may of escaped for now, but I know where he sleeps! _Inner-Sakura rubbed her hands together with murderous glee. Letting a deep sigh out, she put her head in her hands groaning as she remembered how embarrassing it was. She would never live this down, Kiba and _Shino's_ laughter echoed in her mind. Laying down and covering herself with a pillow the young Haruno tried to shut out the world, in favor of letting her emotions decide to destroy it. 

Minutes later, a loud rapping on her door interrupted her quiet brooding. With a snarl, she went to answer the door. When she opened it and realized who was there she started to crack her knuckles and let out what could only be described as a feral growl that would cull the Kyuubi himself.

"Sakura-chan! Wait… I um… got you this!" He thrust a trembling arm forward tightly grasping a slightly mangled – but a well selected – bouquet at her. He suddenly found the ground very interesting as he stared at it as if he imagined a monster would spawn forth at a moments notice. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He muttered some things she couldn't hear, picking up "I woke up with your…", "didn't know what to do", "was going to return", "screwed up big time."

Sakura wasn't sure how to respond. Here he was attempting an apology, where mere minutes before she was imagining pulling his limbs off in the most painful fashion. Her eyes passed over the flowers; the fool couldn't seem to pick a flower without damaging it. However, he had chosen flowers that conveyed "I'm sorry and want to make up to my special someone." Taken aback from his thoughtful gesture, her mind raced, debating whether she should kill him where he stood or forgive him.

Violence usually won with Sakura, as she pulled her hand back and smashed him (not quite as hard as she would have normally) into the back wall of the hallway. Thinking about the situation with some perspective, she knew Naruto was a terrible liar. His pathetic ramblings expressed a childlike truth she would normally find adorable if she wasn't so mad, as she wracked her mind for who the real culprit was. _Ino!! It was Ino who had them last night. Somehow this is her fault. What was she even doing with my underwear in the first place! I'll get her for this! _With her anger redirected, she stalked up closer past the discarded flowers to the dazed blond, and bent toward him. He cringed expecting a finishing blow when she kissed him on the cheek, and yanked him to his feet. "You are so lucky it's difficult to stay mad at you."

Naruto dusted his jacket off and a goofy grin split his face, as he nervously rubbed where she kissed him. "Hehe… maybe Sakura-chan would like to get lunch tomorrow? It's the least I can do to make it up to you."

Pondering her options, she _did_ want to have a date with the fool who in front of her, who occupied her mind so much as of late. Deciding that regardless of Ino's position she could go through with her own wants. She gripped the neckline of his jacket pulling him toward her. "You pick me up at noon tomorrow, it's a date." Commenting offhandedly, she issued a challenge she wondered if Ino would hear with a devilish grin. "Looks like I'll beat Ino in love too." She couldn't think of another way at the moment to get under her friends skin, so that comment would have to do.

He looked confused at the comment but didn't say anything, his pools of sapphire eyes gazing nervously into her eyes of shimmering emerald and nodded. She could see the happiness that he was finally being given a chance and the relief he was still breathing dancing in his sky-blue eyes. _He's so adorable when he's nervous and not all full of confidence. _Deciding to tease him, she released her grip on his jacket giving him a mischievous smile. "Oh and Naruto…if you ever touch my panties again when I'm not in them…" She conked him on the head. "I'll kill you." With a wink she gently pushed him back and walked with an extra sway in her step, picked up the flowers, and disappeared back to her apartment shutting the door behind.

Naruto would make goldfish everywhere proud with his excellent expression of staring blankly slowly opening and closing his mouth in disbelief, as he mulled over the possible implications of what Sakura had said last.

* * *

Ino couldn't remember having ever laughed so hard than at Sakura's recent misfortune. She prayed her mad cackling hadn't alerted the Kyuubi of her presence. If she was in her real body, her sides would be cramped and sore from her unrestrained mirth. Naruto's emotion of pure terror when he realized what he had done accompanying the untimely arrival of their friends was just too much. When she finally stopped laughing Naruto seemed too had been picking out some sort of bouquet. Obviously her container was making an attempt to quell the anger of a murderous Sakura. Deciding that it'd be best for herself if he survived such an encounter, she tried focusing her mind on just what type of flowers he should pick, dipping her hand into the surface she had previously used to browse his memories. A slight wave of understand and confusion echoed throughout her host, as he began to pick a suitable bouquet. With a smug, satisfied smile, she went back to browsing more of his memories. 

At last she came to a particularly guarded memory. It seemed quite important, as it was clearer, and she felt the raw emotion of anger, pain, and despair scream through her as she engaged it. Quickly realizing it must have been his encounter with Sasuke back when he first defected. She remembered that day clearly; both her teammates were either injured – Shikamaru had cried that day, and Chouji nearly died. Anger rising in her, she began to relive what Naruto saw at the Valley of the End.

Minutes later, at the memories completion she completely broke down in a fit of sobs as Naruto lost consciousness from his intense wounds from his adoptive _brother_. The fact that he was able to quell the Kyuubi's rage and urge to kill Sasuke in that final attack – throwing the fight effectively was maddening. Who else could do such an act against someone viciously attacking him on both physical and emotional levels? His strength of character, power, and personality, how did she never see these qualities before?

Having seen enough of his pain and memories for now, she once again turned to what he was currently doing. _So he's apologizing to forehead. This ought to be good. _Ino wasn't surprised when Sakura socked him, but she was caught off guard when she kissed him. Then she was outright shocked at Sakura's words. _"Looks like I'll beat Ino in love too."_ _The nerve of her!_ Ino became furious without knowing precisely why Sakura seemed to issue the challenge. Firming her resolve, their past rivalry coming to a head Ino silently decided. _I won't lose to you Sakura. _

The blonde unfortunately soon remembered her situation. Being stuck without a body wasn't exactly the ideal scenario for finding a boyfriend. When Sakura had first informed him that she was alive, she was delighted to feel just how relieved and genuinely _happy_ he was at the news. To make matters worse, the more she had viewed Naruto's memories and learned the why and how of the who he was - the more she found herself attracted to her _container_. Who'd ever thought that the drop out of her academy class, whom she more or less ignored or regarded only with scathing remarks back in the day, would now be on the top of her eligible boyfriend list. Ino swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. She had just admitted that she had developed something for the Uzumaki of all people. She knew her feelings were genuine; Sakura's challenge just brought them to the forefront of her mind. Her heart sank when she realized rival's advantages. Not only was her pink-haired friend the object of Naruto's attention for years running now, she had a date with him tomorrow!

Hours passed as Ino sulked, slumped back against the wall, reflecting on her lonely life. She wasted her earlier years chasing a boy who had no interest and admittedly less personality than a log so commonly used as replacements. Many girls her age shared that fault; but most if not all the girls her age had grown past their fangirl-ism. Ino was also vain; she had always prided herself as being among the most attractive girls her age in Konoha. Despite this, she found virtually no one matching what she had grown out of from Sasuke. No one until Naruto – quite possibly the only guy outside of the emotionless nins of her generation (Neji and Shino came to mind) – who had never even attempted to ask her out. Left to her thoughts she didn't pay much attention to how Naruto finished his day.

Ino was soon broken out of her thoughts when Naruto began to feel intense despair and fear. Concerned from the sudden change of emotion, she clambered back to the reflective pool. Gasping, she looked upon Naruto holding herself. _He's having a nightmare about me?_ It wasn't illogical for Naruto to be having a nightmare about her come to think of it. She did kind of _die_ in his arms. His last two nights of sleep weren't exactly open to dreams either she supposed, with her presence establishing itself the first night, and her taking control the second.

As Naruto the events of that day replayed clear as day Ino was torn how to act. Here she was stuck inside of him, and he was suffering over _her_ sake with a graphic nightmare. This dream was a memory in a way, she wondered if she could somehow manipulate it. Change it away from a nightmare. She didn't much like staring at her own frail form in Naruto's arms through his eyes. This just would not do. Leaning down she closed her eyes tightly and carefully established connection with the memory and focused her mind on doing anything to change the course of the dream.

Opening her eyes, she felt as if she was in two places at once – somehow controlling the dream version of herself. There was no pain, and she felt since she had some strong dominion over what happened in the jinchuuriki's dream now.

"_Ino! Listen, don't talk like that!" Tears were forming at his eyes, her breathing becoming more and more labored. "I'm going to get you back I promise." _

_"Thank you..." she gasped out. Naruto held her tightly, watching as her lips curved into a serene smile, but unlike last time, Ino wrapped her arms around the back of his head and pulled him into a deep kiss._

_Naruto froze at the action, his eyes wide with sudden confusion. Finally he wrapped his arms around her securely and returned the kiss._

Ino swelled with triumph, feeling Naruto's grief fade away into confusion, relief, and something she could only classify as a burning _desire_. Throughout the night, Ino replayed the dream in Naruto's mind. She knew she was somewhat of a tease, and this would just give a taste to Naruto what could be his.

The blue-eyed kunoichi smiled to herself at the sudden opportunity. In truth, she was an excellent gardener. The seed for affection was already present; he found her attractive, enjoyed her company to an extent, and had expressed full concern for her. She would now nurture seed through his dreams into a beautiful flower she hoped. _I'm not brainwashing him either; I can only plant the idea in his mind and help him feel the possible sensations. After all, he's the one who chose that he liked it. I won't lose to you, Sakura! _She concluded smugly.

Uzumaki Naruto would not forget what it was like to kiss and hold Yamanaka Ino that night..

* * *

I suppose this isn't 'silly' like previous chapters; and can be considered my first real stab at involving some form of romance. Oh boy the next one is going to be difficult. 

A second thought - since pretty much no one has actually commented on my grammar or writing style in general. Is this because no one has felt like it - or is my current writing favorable in some way? I would be interested in self improvement. Next update may not be till weekend - depends if I have another slow workday or not.


	9. Chapter 9

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Heavy eyelids fluttered open slowly, as the Uzumaki aroused from his deep slumber. He quickly decided to partake in a very cold shower to clear his mind from the after effects of his unusual mental perusal during the night. As the cold water struck him, he let out a shiver. _A dream... It was a dream. _Still, every moment and sensation he could clearly picture and feel. Never before had he a dream that he could remember with such clarity. 

It had started out as a nightmare he was sure. The despair and fear was ever present, with a cold grip on his heart. Then all was quickly erased, as warmth poured into his very being from nothing other than the lips of Yamanaka Ino. He had never _really_ kissed before in his life, so did not have much experience to compare - and as a result, his normal dreams didn't constitute of much detailed kissing. This however, was very different. He bit his lip as he continued to shower. The warmth of the dream kisses haunting his thoughts. What was more unusual perhaps was the giver of that dream kiss. _Ino..._

He had always found Ino attractive; what healthy male in their right mind wouldn't? Her form was sleek and well defined, with just the right curves at the proper places. While not the most busty of females, she had elegance in her form and creamy skin which she had a habit of flaunting from her midriff and well toned silky legs. Her face was sharp with her cool blue pupil-less eyes adding an exotic twist to her natural beauty. Her pale blonde hair she almost always kept obscuring half of her face, as if she was to tease anyone glimpsing at her. Yes, Ino was definitely good looking - and he knew as a result of indirect teaching from Ero-Sennin that it was perfectly natural for a boy of his age to _notice_ multiple girls in that fashion. While he would scarcely admit it, it wasn't the first dream or odd fantasy he had involving Ino. After all, the occasional random girl such as Tenten or Temari would occupy his mind on a very rare basis. That's where it had always stopped though with Ino and any others; just an attraction.

He never had feelings for Ino beyond a potential friend - which he counted all of his peers from Konoha since those fateful Chunin exams he participated in those years ago. It was no secret he found Sakura as attractive as Ino - for much the same reasons - however, what caused him to throw his entire being for her was the similarities she saw in him. The young Sakura in the academy sought acknowledgement and he felt a kindred spirit in her. That and another very probable reason was she was the only classmate who did not directly put him down for being the 'dead last'. Oh she did put him down, many a time indeed; but it was always due to his obnoxious behavior - most of which was indeed directed toward her. Ino on the other hand, fit in with the rest of the aspiring kunoichi he remembered in the class - not giving him the time of day, or perhaps at best a snarky comment. Of course, nobody regarded him as a failure anymore. He won respect and more during his debut at the exams.

So just where did this dream come from? Normally he'd discard a dream, welcoming it as an entertaining thought, but pushing it away for one in favor of Sakura. This though, had been so powerful, felt so real. _Is it guilt? _He wondered if the closeness which he held her that day was plaguing his subconscious. Except, his thoughts weren't nearly that eloquent. He still didn't know how to emotionally handle this situation. By all rights he remembered her clearly _dying_ in his arms. Yet then Sakura insisted she was alive but he couldn't see her. Now to make it more complicated he dreamt of kissing her all night! _Strange things keep happening since that mission. I really need to talk to Ino sometime soon._

Drying himself off, he quickly got dressed and began to heat some instant ramen for his breakfast. He walked with an extra bounce to his step, remembering just what he had on the agenda for today. _Sakura finally said yes! _It was still mid-morning, so he had several hours to head to her place. Grumbling, he slumped in his chair cursing those damnable three minutes it took for his ramen to boil.

His emotions and thoughts seemed jumbled. He began to realize the problem was he _liked_ that kiss the dream Ino gave him. The young blond wasn't very experienced with girls to begin with. Now he was thrust into a situation he hardly understood between two girls. The first, he enjoyed kissing in the most powerful dream he ever had yet scarcely knew her - a girl which until yesterday he thought he had let die. All on the eve he was dating her best friend and his long time crush. The gears in his head soon clattered and ground to a halt. Should he feel guilty? Is this unfaithful to Sakura? What was he supposed to do about Ino or the memories of the dream that wouldn't leave the forefront of his mind? Naruto then proceeded to scald himself on his ramen as he reached for it too quickly, setting about the rest of his morning activities with his thoughts in a bubbling turmoil.

* * *

A cheerful Sakura had just selected and donned her outfit of choice. Opposed to her normal attire, she decided to forego her traditional top and shorts in favor of a knee-length white skirt and a loose fitting red shirt with a lower neckline similar to what Tsunade often wore. She didn't like to wear clothes where others may get 'accidental' peeks at her assets, but deciding it suited the warm autumn day for a date with Naruto. Suspecting he'd probably have some terrible idea such as Ichiraku - not that she disliked it, just not what she wanted on her 'date - the Haruno began to prepare a picnic lunch to share with her teammate. 

She was unaware of the results of her comment towards Ino the previous day. She had only meant to tease her friend, get under her skin a bit as a form of token revenge for her embarrassment. She hadn't the wildest that Ino may of somehow started to fall for the most unpredictable ninja as a result of her predicament, nor that her comment had caused Ino to realize this. The two best friends enjoyed their light rivalry. Nearly three years ago, their friendship had a vast rift from their infatuation with the Uchiha. After their interest defected, both had sought each other to patch up their relationship, and they had long since promised not to let anything come between their friendship again...

With everything in order for what Sakura hoped would be the perfect first date, a rap on the door had her smiling and grabbing the bundle of food to greet Naruto.

* * *

Pushing all thought of Ino out of his mind, he knocked on the door at the agreed time to see Sakura. Answering it, she wore a shy smile. "Hello Sakura-chan! You look great today!" 

Carrying a bagged bundle, she shut the door behind her leading him out. "Thank you Naruto, are you ready? We're going to have a picnic."

He mentally sighed thankfully - he didn't think she'd like his idea of Ichiraku, and didn't know anywhere else. She knew him too well it seemed. "Sounds great Sakura-chan!"

The two young shinobi engaged in small talked while Sakura lead them, ironically to the field where he had gathered the mangled bouquet the previous day. She giggled lightly when she saw the many mutilated flowers about the field. "Next time Naruto, maybe you should just buy flowers instead of picking them - though I appreciated the thought."

He scratched at the back of his head nodding nervously with his trademark grin.

They ate in relative silence, occasionally sharing a joke or gossip at the expense of their friends and senseis. Jiraiya and Tsunade especially went through a sneezing fit that lunch time...

The stray thought of Ino materialized in his mind as he spaced out for a moment. Sakura sensing his concentration prodded him playfully on the shoulder. "What's wrong Naruto?"

Thinking fast, he shook his head. "Nothing Sakura-chan, just glad that this day is finally happening!" He exclaimed truthfully, if not the whole truth, with his biggest smile.

Nodding at him skeptically, she smiled back. Soon they were holding hands and sitting quietly in the meadow to peacefully stare at slow rolling clouds of the afternoon sky. Soon his rose-haired date rested her head on his shoulder with a content sigh. _This is really happening, and Sakura-chan is enjoying it! _He carefully glanced down at her resting form; blushing slightly when he realized he could see down her shirt. Deciding he'd rather not have her hit him today, he quickly averted his eyes back toward the clouds.

"Hey Naruto..." He raised his eyebrow, gulping. _Oh crap, she caught me!_ He slowly looked into her forest green eyes.

"Yea Sakur--mmph," he was awkwardly cut off as she pulled him down into a kiss. The memories of his dream haunted him at that moment, the similarities were outstanding. Looking on the bright side, he attempted to take advantage of that dream experience - embracing her tightly and kissing her like he learned that night.

After a long moment, the teenagers gasped for breath. "Wow Naruto, where'd you learn to kiss like that?" Shifting nervously, he knew it'd be extremely unhealthy for him to say something along the lines 'oh I dreamt all night I was kissing Ino', he was relieved when he didn't have to answer as she pounced on him to kiss him again.

It was near dinner time when Sakura finally got up; she dusted herself off pulling a dazed Naruto to his feet. She had informed him earlier she planned to have a family dinner at home that day. "Thank you Naruto for the wonderful time" With another peck to his cheek, she departed toward her parent's house with a satisfied Naruto-like grin.

He stared into toward the sky, a blissful smile splitting his face. _Sakura-chan... kissed me! All these years and she's finally accepted me. _Then the nagging thought about the Yamanaka in Sakura's position popped up. The two girls were similar, yet different. He had to admit he liked the kiss from _both_. Why was just a dream causing so much thought? Other dreams never had this effect. One thing was for sure - he was both glad and relieved that being with Sakura felt so _right_. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he had the strong feeling that this confusion caused by Ino was far from being over.

* * *

Ino spent most the day doing the equivalent of napping. She was mentally exhausted from changing Naruto's dream all night, and respected Naruto and Sakura too much to infringe upon their privacy. She was smugly aware of the intrigue she had inspired in her - she hoped - temporary container. It seemed his date had gone rather well, and while he was happy with Sakura he still could not get his mind off Ino, causing her to swell with a sense of worth. The seed was already growing nicely; she'd just have to water it a bit more for it to really take hold. 

Glancing into her portal to Naruto's mind and senses, she noted that he had begun training judging by his location and the number of clones he had summoned. The position of the sun suggested it was early evening, with dusk soon approaching. While she was glad that Naruto had at least started to think about her more, worry gnawed at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt like she was overlooking something.

Leaning back against the hard wall Ino was thankful that she didn't suffer muscle and back aches in the mindscape. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She hated the dark, and the absolute feeling of being alone was growing unbearable. If only she could just talk to someone. Perhaps that was another factor in spurning her actions toward manipulating Naruto. Getting him to think about her helped shave some of the absolute dismal abandonment she felt in this dank _prison_. Trying to keep her mind occupied, the displaced girl began to devise strategies for what she could do that night to further her standing with her host.

When Naruto finally began to ready himself for bed, Ino had thought of a few possible courses depending on his dreams. He slowly settled into a deep slumber; she was amazed at how quickly he could make the transition. It took her sometimes up to an hour to settle into such a resting state. She watched the blank pool quietly for what his dreams this night would entail. Grumbling when images of a giant bowl of ramen at the familiar stand came into view she felt like screaming. _The stupid goof goes on a date with his long time crush, goes home then dreams about RAMEN?_ Tapping her nails impatiently on the ground she decided to wait. His dreams seemed to shift quickly tonight, which seemed unusual behavior. Her stomach went cold, feeling rejected when she saw the many dreams of Sakura he seemed to be flying through. The emotions emanating were so strong toward the Haruno. _He really loves her._ It was then she realized that even if she succeeded in burrowing thoughts of herself into his mind - he'd never let go of Sakura.

Contemplating giving up, she was dejectedly about to look away and huddle in the darkness when his dreams at last seemed to feature her. This time it wasn't from their last unfortunate mission, which she was relieved. It was painful and difficult to think about and come to grips with her own demise after all. This seemed an original dream. What she recognized as being perhaps the large boat they shared on the way home after the mission before his training trip involving the Kaima. The main difference was they were both in their older bodies. Still, it appeared nobody else was present on the deck of the boat. Firming her resolve, she attempted to step into his dream like the night before.

* * *

_Naruto gazed at the peaceful waves from his seat on steps toward the upper deck. The platinum blonde hair of Ino bristled in the wind. Approaching her silent friend, she knelt down tapping him on the shoulder cooing softly in his ear. He tensed as her warm breath caressed down his neck. "Hey Naruto, it's a nice night isn't it?"_

_The bewildered shinobi glanced at her, as she swooped down settling in his lap with a mischievous grin. Naruto turned red stammering out several incoherencies. Ino smiled, thinking that for the noisiest ninja he was sure shy when it came to physical contact with girls. Taking advantage of his inaction, she slowly ran a finger to his lips silencing him. Then carefully brushing her fingers past what she remembered being his ticklish whisker-marks. He fidgeted under her; she could feel his emotions emanating from him. Confusion mixed with desire. Then suddenly both were quelled from overwhelming fear. _

_Ino froze. Why did he become afraid? She carefully looked at him, he had his eyes clenched shut tightly, he opened them quickly and they were blood red. Gasping she fell off his lap, while his whiskers had taken a darker form - his face growing feral and hard. His emotion was fear and she sensed him struggling to hold something (himself?) back. He started a low growl, "Ino... get away hurry"_

_

* * *

_

She quickly leapt backward in terror. The dark halls seemed to glow red, and she felt a vile, malevolent aura surround her. _Oh god, what happened? This is the Kyuubi?_ Cringing in the corner at the oppressive presence, the walls themselves seemed to rattle for a long moment. Finally she felt the fear Naruto felt start to disperse as the evil aura was dispelled. Heaving a deep sigh, she sat back. _What the hell happened?_ Carefully looking for an answer, she looked again in the pool and tried to feel out what she could of Naruto's thoughts.

The emotions and thoughts poured into her mind. _What have I done?_ It seemed Naruto's emotions were never very stable; his lonely childhood and the demon within gave him a fragile internal countenance. She became vaguely aware that the Kyuubi would influence his physique and enhance strong emotions. Her petty teasing had stirred confusion within his heart and the Kyuubi had attempted to use Naruto's addled state to strengthen his lust and perhaps breach the seal, if only temporary.

Ino felt like breaking down. She thought she could be eradicated from here permanently, if the Kyuubi had its way. What's worse, she hung her head in shame and guilt, that her selfish interest _hurt_ him. There was no other way to put it; she had never felt such fear in him as he tried to fight down his inner demon to protect her - even in a dream.

Worse, this concerned Sakura as well. What she had done was risking her trust and respect. Her friendship with the Haruno was as important to her as family. Ever since they were kids, she had always admired the potential she saw in the timid girl. Hoping to gain a potential friend, she cheered her on, encouraged her to bud and become the beautiful flower she thought she was. Though they had a bitter rivalry for some time, she never forgot her friend. She didn't admit it to Sakura, but she was overjoyed to end their friendship-breaking rivalry. They had come so far since, doing so many things together. One instance that they both swore to never speak of again; they gave each other their first kisses to practice for future boyfriends. They had grown close over the two years as Tsunade's apprentices learning medical ninjutsu. She wouldn't go back on her promise and kill their friendship.

She hated her situation. Bodiless, stuck within someone she was developing had begun to fall for on who was in a budding relationship with her best friend. _I've made such a mess of things. How will they ever forgive me? I've put us all in danger. Naruto's emotions are weak and the Kyuubi seems to gain control not only in strong anger but confusion too. I have to try and put things right. I have to confess to Sakura._

Hesitating for only a second, the kunoichi moved to the edge of the pool, closed her eyes and dived in - hoping she'd once again gain control of the sleeping Naruto.

* * *

A/N: Despite it being the longest chapter, I'm not really happy with it - I couldn't really think of a good pace of things to happen, and a date type scene I've quickly learned I have no talent for or desire-ish to write ;x I had actually planned to have the next bit part of this chapter, but when I realized its length (and decided I should think a bit on structuring and just what I wanted to happen) I felt this might be a good stopping point for now.

The last few chapters I more or less wrote on the spot drawing from what I imagined would be important developments and details from the previous ones. I do have some idea where I mean to go (I'll call it point D) but getting through points B and C seem to be the real challenge in writing a fic ;) Just wondering - did things move TOO fast? Is it a believable development and portrayal of their characters? I am aware some of it may seem slightly OOC, but I think it isn't a far stretch given the irregular stuff that has happened so far in this piece.


	10. Chapter 10

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The tingling took hold throughout her entire bodiless being, as Ino was cast through the void. When the sensation finally stopped she jolted upright, relieved to see Naruto's hands in front of her, gasping for air. _I'll never get used to that terrible feeling!_ Scrambling off of his lumpy, hard mattress - _how can he stand to sleep on this? I'll have to talk Sakura in chipping in to get him a real bed _- she began to quickly change clothes into her outfit hidden beneath the genjutsu. Thanking that Naruto still was terrible at detecting the most basic of genjutsus, she checked over herself in the mirror - Naruto's 'sexy' female form in Ino's clothing. Nodding to herself, she glanced at the clock. It was nearly 2 a.m. and Konoha was cast in the thick shadows of night. At least this almost guaranteed that Sakura would be their apartment sleeping. 

Opening his balcony door, she leapt off Naruto's apartment building and bolted toward Sakura's as if the Kyuubi itself was nipping at her heals.

* * *

A sound of sliding wood had a sleepy Sakura awake with a start. She quickly analyzed the sound and direction it came from; concluding that someone was opening a window in what was Ino's room. Burglary was all but unheard of in ninja villages, especially Konoha which had a much higher moral backing than the other nations in general. There was always the possibility of assassins though; and she supposed she was no longer on Akatsuki's Christmas card list for being close to Naruto. Grabbing her gloves on her nightstand, she slowly slipped them on, and stood in the shadows of her door in waiting like a coiled spring ready to snap into action. 

"Sakura! It's me, Ino." Letting a relieved breath, she snapped the light on and saw the familiar visage of Naruto's sexy jutsu.

Beaming at her friend she went to sit on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes slightly. "It's good to see you Ino." Looking at the time she added "I guess the only time you can get control of Naruto is at some god awful hour in the night?"

Ino walked to a chair she had near her door and sat in it, Sakura noticed she seemed tense. "Sakura, we have to talk." Sakura didn't like the feeling forming in the pit of her stomach at the serious tone in the blonde's voice. She nodded slowly to her displaced friend who sighed and continued. "I've done something terrible, and I have to come clean. I may have put us all in danger"

"What? How? Aren't you --" Ino quickly cut her off.

"I'll explain everything, let me finish!" Ino gripped the base of the chair as her knuckles turned white. _Why is Ino so worried and spooked?_ "Last night I went into Naruto's dream. He was having a nightmare about our mission, he was holding me. I um... kissed him, and made sure he remembered the dream. It confused him greatly but he liked it"

Letting the words sink in, she Sakura stared hard at her friend. A sense of panic and betrayal swirled in her and her voice began to crack. _Things finally were going right with Naruto! _"Y-you can d-do that? Why would y-you?"

Ino hung her head low in shame, holding her face between her hands. Sakura could see tears form as she began to mumble, "I'm so sorry Sakura. It's so dark and lonely in his mindscape. It's a hell in itself, no one to talk to, barely any light and devoid of all color. Just perpetually chilly and dank stone halls. I started browsing Naruto's memories at first out of curiosity and boredom... but when I started to see the real him from all these years something took hold of my heart. I didn't realize it until you said you'd beat me in love." She choked out, Sakura had never seen Ino so emotional - her friend was in a breakdown. The sobbing blonde looked at her friend, seeing the worry and betrayal across her face.

"Sakura, you don't have to worry about losing Naruto you know. He loves you with all his heart and nothing would change that. I just found... in his fantasies, like all boys he on has at one point of time thought of other girls. I was one, along with Temari and Tenten. I was surprised I didn't see Hinata in there, it really seems he is oblivious to her; he's never even really thought of her as a girl - just a 'weird good friend', and she seems almost invisible to him most the time as a result of her shy behavior toward him." Ino finished, and then apologized for getting sidetracked. Sakura stared dumbly at Ino's monologue.

"I realized how _perfect_ he was, we were such fools for Sasuke... and when he had the nightmare, and I knew I had the power to change it and make him think of me I tried it. It worked so well. It wasn't until tonight when I was trying again that his confusion and guilt - from his thoughts of me and his love of you - I tried teasing him some more. Then suddenly, he got overwhelmingly terrified and the Kyuubi started to leak out. You know how his anger is enhanced and gives the Kyuubi more influence? His confusion is much the same. I've never felt something so afraid than at how terrified Naruto was when he felt the Kyuubi was trying to take over. He fought him down but I'm afraid now Sakura. His emotions are damaged, he's already loved and desired you - and now he desires me."

Ino fell to her knees, her eyes wet with tears that streamed down her face. "I realized that I was messing with things I shouldn't and I don't know how either of you can forgive me. When I realized what I did, and the danger caused I also thought that about our friendship and that I didn't want to ruin that. Not again Sakura. You are my only real friend that actually understand me"

The Haruno stared at her friend not knowing how to feel. How could she be mad at someone who was breaking down and bared her heart like that? She knew that Ino was having an emotional crisis; backlash from her situation. There was nothing but the hard truth and sincerity with her story. This did not make it easier. Learning her friend had fallen for the same guy she had again was proving too much. Could she ask her sobbing friend to stop going after Naruto? As much as she wanted she didn't want to hurt her friend more. "Ino... I forgive you... b-but what are we going to do? Things seemed finally ready to go right with Naruto. I pushed him off for so long, but since he came back I just wanted him there."

Ino shook her head, "I don't know. I just don't know. If he is forced to choose he would pick you without hesitation." Sakura felt her heart warm, but fought the urge to smile - she couldn't do that at her friend's expense. "_If_ I ever get out of here I think I'm going to have to move on. I don't think Naruto will handle it well either. He hates people being upset or lonely, especially if he was the cause." She finished sadly.

Sakura pulled her into a tight hug; she felt her heart clench hearing some truth in Ino's last words. "We'll get you out of there, and if I know Naruto, he wouldn't leave anyone in a depressed and dejected state." Biting her lip hard she wracked her mind, she felt like screaming at the top of her lungs at this development. "I just don't know of anything else we can do." The pink-haired medic commented dejectedly.

Ino's eyes shot open, as she rubbed her last tears away. "There is one possibility, and would spare Naruto mental confusion. The idea came from him actually from one of his fantasies. But it's not something I can ask of you Sakura. I can't think of a good way to explain it though."

Sakura looked at her friend skeptically, "just try Ino... it can't be harder than anything else you've told me tonight." Ino nodded, searching for words. When none came, her body seemed compelled to do the only thing she could think of; show her. Sakura was shocked when the female-Naruto dived on her pulling her into a deep kiss. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. This was so bizarre and unexpected. This was Naruto's body, so was he kissing him or Ino? Her eyes widened as she realized how bold Ino was intending to be as she felt her probing tongue against her lips. They had kissed before, but only as practice - nothing this _passionate_. She surprised herself more when she instinctively responded by opening her mouth granting entry.

Gasping for air a moment later, Ino got up from her friend her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I think a little Naruto got into me there. Though that was _his _idea."

A very red Sakura stared at the ground, not trusting her voice. _That was...different. _Panting, the confused Haruno pondered why she was so breathless. Was it because her best friend since childhood literally pounced on her kissing her with more feeling than Naruto did on their date? Perhaps it was just because it _was_ Naruto's body. Naruto's _female-_body. This was a feeling she was wholly unfamiliar with, and the shy Sakura attempted to shift her mind to something she was well acquainted with - anger. "Na-Naruto thinks of that? That p-pervert!" It wasn't working. She fell back against her bed defeated at the awkward confusion.

Ino seemed no better off and just nodded dumbly. Recovering with her breath back to normal she looked at Sakura who was hiding her face in her hands shyly. With her cheeks flushed she muttered, "I, well, uh, could live with that if you could."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the Yamanaka's suggestion. This was too new of an idea, too soon. Unable to focus on rational thought, Inner-Sakura formed in her mind pointing toward an image of an ecstatically blushing Naruto viewing two tangled kunoichi. Her inner persona continued ranting on the possibilities and excitement it could bring ending each with an excited '_Shannaro'. _Focusing back on Ino on the floor, Sakura surprised herself to Inner-Sakura's delight with a slow meaningful nod.

* * *

A/N: I didn't like how rushed this chapter was, and the topic was very hard for me to put to paper. Just some notes; no Ino would not of 'kissed' Sakura normally – as seen in the past they 'seep' into each other's actions in some situations. Since I planned to go NaruSakuIno, this was the 'device' for them to have open minds toward the idea while adding the twist from Naruto's sub-conscious. Remember Ino IS in Naruto's body, and so her emotions and instincts are slightly altered because of that. Also, I don't think she's out of character because imagine yourself without your own form, more or less trapped in the mind of another messing with many painful memories all day. I see anyone in this situation being in a fragile state of mind. Then there's the ever popular theory that Sakura has a bit of 'closet perversion' in her Inner-Sakura perversion. Eh, interesting concept. Naruto's fantasy about that, I think fits in what most every guy has at one point thought of (you know who you are). 

Sorry if this offended anyone – but I suppose if you're reading a fic labeled "NaruSakuIno" you should have seen something along these lines coming.

Next chapter should get the plot moving once again, and should shed more light on just what has to be done with Ino's body.


	11. Chapter 11

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

A long awkward silence followed when neither of the young women knew what to say. Attempting to change the subject, a fidgeting Sakura began slowly. "So while we have that matter... taken care of... We still have to let Naruto know somehow. This is going to be hard without telling him..."

Ino's face fell, remembering she'd soon be in the darkness of those halls soon again. Carefully considering her, something swelled in her that she could only describe as a Naruto-like faith in his friends. "Well, you'll think of something. I know you guys will get me out of here, too!" The blonde attempted her own shit-eating grin. Sakura nodded slowly, she could see through Ino's bravado but at the same time noticed her friend was in higher spirits than when she first visited.

"Ino, I'm going to see Tsunade this morning. I'll ask her what she has found so far and volunteer to help." With a loud yawn, the Haruno sat back on her bed, glancing at the clock. It was well into the mid morning and she'd be waking in a few hours.

Ino stood up, "I better get back." She pulled her friend into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you for giving me peace of mind. It's so good to talk to someone again." Releasing a gasping and dazed Sakura, she quickly departed home to return Naruto to where he was so that her container would remain none-the-wiser.

_She didn't have to squeeze me to death. _With a shy smile Sakura then tiredly collapsed on the bed where a deep slumber enveloped her.

* * *

Early in the morning Sakura sought Tsunade. She had two missions today. The first to find out what, if anything her master had in terms of restoring Ino to her usual self. Then, she would have to somehow alleviate the confusion with Naruto and let him know that she was _ok_ with Ino occupying his mind at this point. Frankly, she'd rather fight Sasori again.

Knowing the Hokage's schedule, she headed straight to the hospital. Tsunade was making early rounds with many of the overnight shinobi patients she had become acquainted with since becoming the leader of the leaf village. Sakura happily greeted the medic sannin, and prepared herself on the subject of Ino's _condition_. "Good morning Tsunade-shishou."

The older blonde turned to her, with her brown eyes regarding her student. "Morning Sakura, you're here to see me about something?"

Nodding and continuing. "I would like to be kept up on progress regarding Ino and help in any way I can." The Hokage saw the determination in her pupil's piercing green-eyed gaze and nodded.

Entering a locked room, Ino's healthy - but devoid of vital signs - body lay behind clear locked glass. Shutting the door behind them, the older woman answered. "I have not been able to find much, but I have a start. I am afraid though that this isn't the best of news as you will soon learn. Usual resurrection techniques are kinjutsu for several reasons. Most involve a human sacrifice, or the person performing the jutsu to die. Ino's soul so to speak lies in this world, so it is possible we can avoid that casualty aspect, but that also complicates things. In order to just restart her vital signs is beyond any jutsu I think exists at this point."

Sakura felt as if her insides turned into a block of ice but waited for her master to go on. "However... be it fortunate or not, Naruto's medical records as a jinchuuriki suggest a bijuu could in theory save Ino." Eyes widening Sakura looked hopefully at Tsunade. _We can use the Kyuubi to save Ino!_ "But there's more. The only bijuu we have access to at this point is the Kyuubi of course. Perhaps if I explain what would be needed by the bijuu and the complications presented you'll understand."

"Option one would be an infusion of a large quantity of demonic chakra to _regenerate_ Ino's life functions. This is the riskiest to Ino because demonic chakra is toxic to humans. Jinchuurikies are different because their bodies adapt to their tenants from infancy. The only way this would work safely is if the bijuu itself desires to save Ino. The Kyuubi is a malevolent and vengeful beast, and I don't see it being charitable toward us. Foxes are tricksters by nature, and unless we had considerable safeguards in place he could permanently kill Ino and other people involved easily"

"The second option would be to seal a bijuu in Ino, making her into a vessel. This would normally be impossible. However, if a bijuu that has no current physical manifestation was sealed in Ino's body, it would theoretically merge with her chakra system and make the necessary changes to survive in the human body. Normally this would kill the host before the demon completed the adaption; but Ino is not in her body. If we can keep it properly sealed - Ino can then take the body back. This is probably the safest method but will require many top nins and seal masters including Jiraiya. Also Ino will then forever live a life as a demon vessel akin to Naruto and formerly Gaara, excluding the troubled past however. This goes to the main problem with this method. The bijuus aren't exactly roaming around able to be caught. Of the 9 beasts, we only know the location of Naruto. Akatsuki have attained many. This could be a chance to perhaps take one away from them though."

"The third option would involve Naruto and present a great risk to both of them. We do not know the full nature of the Yondaime's seal or to the extent of the relationship between human and demon. This would be the easiest option for us, and the only one that does not involve something outside of Konoha or making a literal deal with a demon. I was theorizing on whether it was possible for two people to _share_ a seal. If it succeeds, both of them will always be linked. But if it fails..." She grimaced and took a deep breath. Sakura's mind churned from the information. None of these were easy solutions.

"Finally, there is the possibility of Ino giving up on her current body in favor of a new one. This would need someone body in a comatose state, but the existing mind and conscience of the person would be absorbed and merge with Ino. This seems even less likely, and who knows what would result long term? There are possibly more options, but this is all I have personally uncovered at this point." With a frown, she patted her student on the shoulder. "I'm sorry Sakura, and I'll keep looking. If I cannot find anything else, Ino will have to either live with her condition or maybe we'll authorize a mission to hunt down Akatsuki. We need to do this at some point; they are too dangerous to leave unchecked. Now I have to finish some rounds, I'll send for you on any developments. Naruto will have to be informed when we decide what to do as well." Ushering her student out of the room, the Hokage gave the Haruno another reassuring pat and moved down the hall.

Sakura mumbled and sat on the bench. Chiyo's words of jinchuuriki extraction rang throughout in her mind. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped tightly to the edge of her skirt. _I will not risk Naruto. We have another reason to get Akatsuki now._ Knowing the danger, Sakura had already decided in her mind which option _she_ wanted. Her hands shaking, she sought comfort and wanted to feel as if everything would be alright. She knew only one person that made her feel that way, and left the hospital to find her orange-loving friend.

* * *

Naruto awoke once again victim to bizarre dreams. First he remembered many glimpses of ramen and Sakura, two of his favorite things. That was normal in itself, but then seemingly out of no where Ino had started stroking his whisker marks under a starlit sky. Somehow this lead to the Kyuubi taking advantage of his confusion where he scared Ino off. Grumbling, he began his morning routine. The final dream he had and could remember only the vaguest impression of was once again wandering around Konoha in his sexy jutsu form wearing a skirt. Somehow this lead up to him kissing Sakura passionately as a _girl._

The young teen was beginning to worry and question about his masculinity. This was the second night he dreamed that he ran around as a girl; and the first night had somehow resulted in him displaying Sakura's panties to all present at the training fields. Realizing his potential danger, he sought his person and area for anything that might resemble undergarments of his pink-haired friend, her warning echoing in his mind. Finding none, the blond let out a relieved sigh and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of instant ramen.

Shutting the door of his cozy apartment behind him he left toward the training ground of team 7. Deciding the hard thinking and confusion he's had the past few days did naught but hurt his strained mind, he pushed all thoughts out of his mind and focused on a new task. Becoming stronger. _I'm weak. I will become Hokage and protect all of my precious people. I don't go back on my word, that's my nindo. _Reaching the grounds, he proceeded in making as many clones as he could.

With a feral grin, he decided he'd try to get rid of his head ache the way Sakura solved hers. Undiscriminating violence. With a signal to his replications, a massive melee soon followed where he practiced dodging and delivering blows against his army of clones.

* * *

The free for all continued for almost an hour, as he scored the final hit on the remaining clone. Panting, he fell on his back and unzipped his warm jacket. Naruto was sore now, with his sweat glistening skin covered in bruises and scrapes and his right cheek was swelling up. Grinning despite his self beating, he was victorious against that infernal head ache. Now his entire body was sore, something he was much more accustomed to.

Relaxing in his spread eagled position; he sat back and let his mind drift akin to the clouds floating high above. That was until a shadow loomed over him with an accompanying gasp. Squinting, he turned toward the source seeing his favorite pink-haired girl. "Naruto what happened to you!"

"Good morning Sakura-chan" With a loud groan, he tried to sit up, and fell promptly on his back again. "I was just training."

She hovered over him, activating her healing techniques as she began to soothe his marred skin and scold him. "Naruto, you have to be more careful. What if you seriously hurt yourself? Jeez look at you." He grinned at her lecturing tone; he knew she cared about him. He was always glad to hear the concern laced into her nagging comments about taking things too far.

"I don't need to worry because I have Sakura-chan to put me back together!" She saw the smile touch his wide sapphire eyes, and blushed at her friend. Bopping him on the forehead lightly, she finished tending to his swollen cheek.

Sitting on the trampled grass next to him, she brushed a wild blond lock off his forehead. He saw the thoughtful look on her face, sitting up he looked at her. "Naruto, I need to ask you something" She heaved a heavy sigh. He nodded at her, not liking the troubled countenance of his love. "Have you thought about Ino recently?"

Panic filled his mind grinding any attempt at coherent thought to a halt. _How do I answer her! I can't lie to Sakura-chan!_ Nervously swallowing, he gripped his hands tightly and looked down at the mangled grass in front of him. _I hope she doesn't hate me for this._ _I just have to tell her. _"I've had some weird dreams about her, and I can't seem to get her off my mind."

He was slightly surprised when she nodded slowly. She seemed tense, and troubled - but not angry or sad he noted. "And what do you think of her?"

That floored him. His mind scrambled for anything. What _did _he think of Ino? "I um, still don't know her that well. I mean, I like her and she's well uh..." He trailed off with a slight blush adorning his face. "But it's you that I love! I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I don't know why I had these dreams. It's so frustrating! I haven't even seen her since that day..."

He looked at the ground, and prepared himself mentally to get socked by his teammate's right hook. _She's going to kill me now_. Then she set her hand on his shoulder spooking the Hokage-to-be. "It's ok Naruto, I don't mind. You don't need to worry about me and Ino." _This can't be right. It's like Sakura-chan knew about my dreams already. _Come to think of it, it was Sakura that told him Ino wasn't dead. He knew he was one of the worst ninjas of seeing underneath the underneath, but ever since he returned home from that mission his entire life seemed decidedly more confusing. Somehow this involved Ino, and Sakura seemed to know about it. With his brow furrowed the confused blond came up short on answers. Were there more to these dreams than he knew? Here Sakura was telling him not to fret about fantasizing about her best friend. This was _not_ normal.

He had to find out. With the most serious expression he could muster, he met her green eyes. "Sakura, Is there something you aren't telling me?" Worry tinted her eyes, as she averted her gaze. _She knows something. _Before he could press, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Every part of his body screamed action, and he instinctively grabbed Sakura tightly and forced chakra in his legs catapulting them backwards. Sakura reflexively clung to him with a startled yelp. She stared at him with a bewildered expression, pondering on whether to hit him for ruining the serious moment when she saw his focus on where they were. She followed his eyes and gasped when both teens saw several foot and a half black poles jutting up from the ground.

_I recognize that attack! Didn't I kill this guy?_ He stood up, still partly exhausted from his rampant training session earlier, and pushed Sakura behind him. She was already on her feet glancing around in battle mode. His voice grew cold and angry. "Sakura, get away! This is the guy who attacked _Ino_." Rage filled the demon vessel as his whiskers darkened and eyes grew dark red.

She shivered at the maliciousness in his voice, but stayed firm. Worry and anger filled her voice. "I'm not going to leave you to fight him alone, Naruto." _Damnit, I can't let Sakura-chan be hurt by him! _He turned to her, about to make a desperately plea that she escape; but their conversation was cut short as more sharpened metal rods came from several directions towards them.

* * *

Staring into the familiar pool that linked her to Naruto's senses and mind, Ino collapsed to her knees. Even for an emotionally trained shinobi, seeing someone attack who had _killed_ you before was proving traumatic. She shrieked desperately at the oncoming metal spikes that Naruto saw, and was thankful when both her precious friends dodged the onslaught of black metal. _Please live both of you. _The battle had only just begun.

* * *

A/N: Tsunade's monologue revealed the basic ideas I had come up with originally before I started writing this fic as a resolution to fixing a 'dead' body. I don't think it's as simple as healing it, or having her 'reoccupy' it. Keep in mind, I didn't write this to come out with a power-demon Ino either. The whole bijuu fixation came as an afterthought as a fix, not the _goal_. Anything is possible at this point, however, if I see it reasonable and fits with my story. Also, I do want to avoid anything with a 'shinigami' etc. This lead my train of thought down the path of using the restorative self-preservation properties of the greater demons. I have not set my mind on either of these options yet. Also, this is perhaps the one time where if you prefer to see one option happen over another to let your opinion be known. This isn't a poll by any means; I will read all reviews and if anyone has a strong argument for one option over the others (or presents a brand new idea which I like) I will strongly consider working the story around that path of action. The decision itself won't take place likely for several more chapters so there is definite time to think and change opinions based on a few things I have planned. Also, keep in mind certain characters may prefer different solutions (ie, an over protective and vengeful Sakura would rather go beat the shit out of Akatsuki and steal a bijuu), and the collective decision may be to attempt one but end up changing to another due to developments. We'll see!

Also a big thanks for the few of you who have continually reviewed. Your words have been an inspiration to my daily updates. Without them, I don't think I'd of looked forward to writing quite as much and would have continued to doubt my ability as a writer. It's good to feel that I must be doing something right ). Also, I _almost_ have as many alerts as review now. Though the number is far below other fics, perhaps if people have ideas I may get more :P Maybe if this was involved in more c2's… Anyway enjoy! And unless I write another one tonight, I may not get to the next chapter until Tuesday – I have plans tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Sakura mentally thanked Tsunade for her intense and unorthodox dodge training exercises. Their foes attacks seemed unreal, with dozens of sharpened metal spikes maneuvering midair at high speeds whipping toward them from several directions at once. _This is worse than Sasori's barrages! And this time I don't have Chiyo guiding my movements. _Concentrating on her reflexes, she could barely spare Naruto a glance, who seemed to be in favor of deflecting the poles in addition to dodging. 

With a hiss, Naruto tossed a shorn kunai on the ground, his hand bloodied as he pulled out a new one to continue to parry. _We aren't going to get anywhere if we can't even attack the enemy! _She looked around amidst the hail of projectiles. Finding no clue from where the attacker was, she focused her mind on learning just how the attacks worked. _There has to be some secret or pattern. _At least two dozen of the dense rods swirled around their position, where soon several would break off and make a direct bee line flight toward the shinobi. If they were embedded into the ground, they would soon rise and once again swirl. _Is this some form of wind? No, it can't be; I feel no breeze or chakra in the air and the grass or other objects isn't affected. Perhaps it's some kind of special magnetic jutsu..._

Confident with her evasion reflexes, the Haruno could spare little for her friend who was against his natural enemy in a long range attacker. So far Naruto had avoided any serious injury, and had picked up one of the rods and was using it to parry its companions with much more success than his previous attempts with kunai. _We have to get out of this storm, find cover or anything! We can't keep dodging forever! _Then some of the poles seem to shift its course perpendicularly to its present trajectory. Eyes widening at the new threat, she realized too late when one nicked at her forearm. _Whew that was close. _A strangled cry then brought her attention as she whipped around to the sight of her teammate diving for her. "_Sakura!"_

She watched in horror as the orange clad shinobi absorbed several blows for her sake as the rods whipped through his chest and abdomen. "Naruto!" _Oh god those are vital areas. _When the Naruto in front of her burst into smoke, Inner-Sakura cursed herself for her lack of faith in her friend. _Of course, a shadow clone. Naruto wouldn't be taken down so easily Shannaro! It's time to get out of this mess. _The real Naruto emerged from the earth nearby outside of the storm of giant needles. _That gives me an idea. _"Naruto, jump!" She called out quickly as she concentrated a high mass of chakra in her foot. Drawing her leg up, the you-don't-want-to-be-hit-by-kunoichi smashed her foot into the ground causing the earth to split and fold into a makeshift wall around her. The satisfying thunk of metal meeting rock and soil could be heard as she jumped out of the mess.

Feeling proud at Naruto's foxy grin, she noted he wasted no time in summoning a dozen clones which quickly each grabbed one of the rods. _Great idea! Now they can't fly at us and we can find the attacker. _Sakura quickly scanned the tree line for any signs of movement or flaring of chakra.

She noticed too late when Naruto's idea seemed to backfire. Each rod suddenly flew into formation bringing the clones with them, sending the awkward solid bodies of black and orange into a heap on top of the real team 7 members. The clones were quickly dispelled, and both were in the process of leaping to their feet when more poles shot straight up from the ground to meet the existing ones in a tight cage like structure surrounding Sakura and Naruto. The poles quickly constricted around each of them. _Crap I can't get the leverage for any kicks or punches!_ Sakura was constrained; rendering her chakra burst impact strength useless. Naruto, equally tangled by the bars, cursed and growled as a shinobi in black appeared in front of them. _This is bad, we can't move!_

Panic began to fill her as the enemy nin approached their helpless position. Looking toward Naruto, she saw him slowly clench his eyes close and it looked like he was attempting to channel a large amount of chakra. _He's going to use the Kyuubi's! _The small scar on her arm itched, a memory of Naruto's out of control form on that mission to save Sasuke. _Naruto, be careful - don't give in to the Kyuubi. _

* * *

Ino was mesmerized while watching the battle, her body reflexively dodging nothing as she watched each attack whiz toward Naruto. The kunoichi was amazed at his firm grip with each new kunai with his shredded hands as he continually parried. She watched him prepare a shadow clone, ingeniously replacing himself with it as he hid in the earth watching Sakura to be her backup. Ino was jealous of her friends advanced reflexes; her training with Tsunade never did get quite as far as that and using medical ninjutsu in combat with that chakra enhanced impact strength. She cursed all the hours she worked at the flower shop where she could have been training hard with her friend. _Maybe I wouldn't have been a burden to Naruto on that first attack._ She ruefully reflected. Naruto defended Sakura well the one time she didn't predict the new pattern of attack. With a relieved sigh, she again felt envy as Sakura smashed the earth with a massive kick causing it to fold up around her.

As Naruto gathered the poles, she felt pride in her blond container but was quickly shattered into a state of surprise as the poles launched themselves toward the real Naruto clone-and-all. The wind knocked out of him by his own clones, she screeched at him to get up. _I'm pathetic! Keeping your cool while fighting yourself is one thing, but watching your friends fight unable to do anything while watching from their view is terrible!_ She felt Naruto's anger as a cage seemed to tangle them up made from the bars. She froze when she saw her killers face again. This time she got a good look and burned his mug into memory. He was an average looking tall man, with ruddy dark brown hair parted to the side. His only distinctive feature was a diagonal scar from his left brow down his nose around past his right cheek to the edge of his jaw line where it meets the neck. Without that scar he'd be the type that was all but invisible in any crowd.

Taking a deep breath, she blonde regained her composure. Naruto's emotions had gone peacefully calm as well. It seemed he had his eyes closed tightly and was concentrating intensely on something. _This is what he did during his fight with Neji... He's using the Kyuubi chakra? _She heard a noise behind her, and whipped her head in the direction.

Cornflower blue eyes met the deeper blue of Naruto's. His eyes narrowed on her, and she felt her skin prickle at the unasked questions in his gaze. He quickly looked away turning toward the large gate that marked the Kyuubi's seal. His voice rang out in the corridors. "Oi Fox! It's time to pay some rent! I need at least a tail of power."

His request was only answered by a deep malicious laugh. Her blood ran cold at the sound, as a red glow filled the area and surrounded the form of Naruto ahead of her. _You're amazing Naruto... standing up to the demon like that! _She shuddered at the evil chakra in the halls around her permeating off the very walls. Then it was all gone, as the Naruto in front of her vanished and resumed control of his body in the real world.

* * *

Sakura was always in awe at the sheer intensity of the Kyuubi's chakra as it ignited around Naruto giving him the appearance as if he was on fire. A tail-like tendril of the red blaze wrapped around his waist as a belt. _It looks like he is only using a portion he can control. _She let out a relieved sigh; Naruto would protect both of them. With a ferocious roar, he expended the demonic chakra all at once, which spiraled outward from him. The cage was shattered in several places at once, with a hail of shrapnel blanketing the area around the shinobi. Wasting no time, she bolted with all her speed toward the enemy nin.

Their foe stepped backward in surprise, ill prepared for such a powerful expenditure of chakra. He quickly attempted to redirect the shrapnel back into the control of his technique, disregarding a pissed off pink blur dashing in his direction. With a shrill cry of "Shannaro!" Sakura slammed a chakra dense punch into the side of the face of her opponent. His neck snapped under the force of the blow as his body twisted colliding into the damaged ground skidding away. Panting, she turned to Naruto who walked up admiring her handiwork. She saw him freeze at the sight.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sure I fought this same guy on _that_ mission. I thought I killed him with a rasengan, I didn't look closely but I don't remember seeing the scar on his face after I killed him... and look" He pointed at the smashed visage of the opponent. She was reminded about her fight with Itachi when they saved Gaara, as the corpse in front of them was that of a blond man with a hooked nose.

Swallowing slightly, the medic looked at her friend. "Do you think... he is a part of Akatsuki?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know, maybe. But... Sakura-chan, I need you to tell me why Ino is in my head." Inner-Sakura felt as if a giant boulder was smashing her, as Sakura winced and nervously looked down. _Shit, and things keep getting worse! _She decided she'd have an easier time fighting this ninja some more than telling Naruto the truth at that moment.

* * *

A/N: Ok I did end up getting a chapter out today after my trip, although it's shorter and pretty much 'pure action'. This was my first REAL attempt at making a believable Naruto fight. Did I succeed? The one in the first chapter was more written at the time as means to an end; and I didn't put much thought into its overall progression. The 'villain' at the moment will be revealed in time, and don't worry his next appearance will be his last. I now have a good idea where I intend to go in the following chapters, and those of you wondering just where the Ino-Naruto-body thing will lead, a path to resolving this issue will begin with the next chapter.

I tried to show off Sakura in this chapter -- we all have a good idea of Naruto already (plus this type of opponent I do imagine as being his worst type). Oh and before anyone comments; I don't think Sakura's 'monstrous strength' is the muscle-y type where one can bend bars and lift heavy objects. I believe it revolves around the jolt created after gathering and quickly releasing chakra at a concentrated point when accompanied by another blow (punch/kick). So in a sense, I think while she can definitely _hit _the hardest, she is not necessarily among the _strongest _shinobi in terms of raw muscle. I'm trying to keep character strengths as close to canon at the point of the timeline I 'branched off of'' as possible. Feel free to share comments as always!


	13. Chapter 13

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

Haruno Sakura put her hands out preparing her chakra for healing. "Give me your hands." She shrank under his stare; feeling as if he was boring a hole through her as she began to restore the many gashes and wounds of his hands.

With a weary sigh, she finally met his ocean blue eyes. The usual laughter and delight that danced in his sparkling eyes was only a stern seriousness demanding answers. She turned her head from his boring gaze and began. "I wanted to tell you Naruto, believe me. Ino went into your mind on _that_ mission. Tsunade-shishou forbid us for letting you know, she thought the Kyuubi could cause a problem if it knew Ino was sharing your mind with him"

Silence answered the pink-haired medic and she slowly turned her head back to her friend. A relieved feeling washed over her as the serious expression softened some. "Ino's been in my mind this entire time? And you knew?"

Nodding slowly she chose her words carefully, "Ino took control of your body at night and told me. I hope you aren't mad. I was only allowed to tell you she was still alive."

Naruto seemed noticeably more relaxed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I could never be mad at you Sakura-chan. Though, now I need you to tell me _exactly_ what you know about this Ino stuff in my dreams and thoughts."

With a rueful sigh, this had to be the hardest thing. She didn't regret her decision to Ino the previous night. She had spent a few hours considering the _benefits_ under Inner-Sakura's sale's pitch, and she definitely had no desire to crush or fight with Ino. However, admitting it out to the boy she loved proved harder than she gave it credit for. "Is it… possible for you to talk to Ino? I think she could explain _that_ better." Mustering the most sincere expression she was able, she added, "Naruto, I'm uh, ok with anything Ino says about it. I know how you feel about me, and I won't get jealous." _Well, I will get jealous but I won't fault you for it._

Nodding thoughtfully, the future hokage replied "I'll _speak_ to Ino in a bit then." Looking at the corpse of their attacker he scowled sourly. "If this is the same thing Itachi did, we need to tell Tsunade-bachan! I never thought we'd be attacked _in_ Konoha. What do you think this means Sakura-chan?"

Her insides felt like ice as her mind raced down a reluctant trail of thought. _Akatsuki…_ _They want Naruto, and twice this guy has attacked him with a similar technique as Itachi. _The cold visage of what she glimpsed of the elder Uchiha brother formed in her mind. She shuddered involuntarily. _They are sending expendable ninja to attack him even inside Konoha? I will protect him!_ _Why does Naruto have it so bad? _Shaking her head, she resisted the urge to let tears fall and said, "I think we need to be ready for anything Naruto. This could be a sign of Akatsuki again. Let's go tell Tsunade-shishou right away!"

She turned away ready to head to the Hokage tower when Naruto grabbed her arm. "Sakura-chan, I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm going to have a _chat_ with Ino." She swallowed and nodded as he released his light grasp. _Good luck Ino…_ Sakura headed find her master and inform her of these new developments.

* * *

Ino paced back and forth anxiously. _Damnit Sakura!_ Her friend had more or less foisted the majority of the explanation on her, and she was in no position to refuse the Uzumaki answers. _At least he's as anxious as I am. _She thought bitterly, as he made it to the bridge over the small river in Konoha, and began to enter a meditative state. She didn't know where he'd appear, as she cautiously looked around.

"Boo" She nearly jumped out of her skin. _Of course he chooses to come from behind me! _He wore his well-practiced grin but she noted duly that it did not touch his eyes at the moment. His emotions no longer emanated from the very walls with his own physical manifestation in the mindscape. "I am really glad to see you again Ino."

"But you need answers..." She steeled herself for a barrage of possible explanations. His grin faded and he nodded. _It's like he's an entirely different person. _Deciding it'd be easiest if she just explained everything she'd just spill her guts first. "I'm sorry Naruto, I was dying on that mission. I used a jutsu I wasn't sure would even work, to send my being into you. Now I am trapped here until Tsunade-sama knows how we can fix my body. I know it'll be hard for you to forgive me... I've violated your privacy." She lowered her eyes in shame. "It... it was just so d-dark and silent here. These halls are quiet, like a lonely hell. It was terrible, so I started to just watch your memories and dreams..." She choked out and glanced at her host.

She saw his eyes light up with recognition and the memories of a pain, gone but not forgotten. She turned her head down, brushing some of her disarrayed platinum hair from the lock that obscured a portion of her face. Then she was taken aback when he pulled her into a stiff awkward hug. He whispered gruffly to the air. "No one can beat the pain of loneliness." She shuddered at the words, the theme of his childhood, and gently wiped away a few tears she had not been aware she cried, and released her slowly. "You don't need to explain that, Ino. But those dreams, were you? Why?"

Ino felt the warmth from his grasp depart, and a lump formed in her throat. "I guess that being here alone, and seeing what you really were made me realize how lucky Sakura was. I got jealous when I realized I wanted you too. I didn't know you that well before that mission, but I always did know that there was something more about you that you let on. Being stuck in here, I finally saw what that was." She leaned against the wall, shivering at the cold pressure. "When you were having nightmares about me, I had to do something, to let you know it was alright. I was selfish, and let my feelings manipulate your dreams..." She trailed off not knowing how to continue, glancing back at the other blond.

He seemed most un-Naruto-like in here. Gone was his goofy awkward-ness and carefree demeanor she realized from his memories was nothing but a mask for those that didn't try to look deeper. His thoughtful expression was no longer the pathetic look of concentration she remembered where he scrunched his face up in the past. He looked more _dignified_, with his eyes reflecting a careful understanding of her actions. He turned his head to the side and muttered "So that's what Sakura-chan meant." _He's really matured; the younger Naruto would have needed more explanation, and still probably would have remained oblivious. _With a weary sigh, he looked back at her. "This is a lot to take in. You may know me better, but I still don't know you well at all." _Of course, I never even thought that he still didn't learn a thing about me all this time. _"But we can change that, right Ino-chan? I won't let any of my friends know the pain of that loneliness, especially if they are in my own head."

She felt her heart melt at those words. _Simple yet sweet. _"Thank you Naruto." He smiled genuinely, his previous seriousness all but dissipated.

"Ino-chan, we can talk later ok? I have to go see Tsunade-bachan with Sakura-chan. She needs to know about that _bastard._"

The Yamanaka nodded, knowing exactly _who_ he meant.

He set his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I'll be back I promise. And I --"

"Never go back on your word, it's your nindo" She smiled as she finished for him. "I'll be alright, I'm just glad you don't hate me"

He didn't answer with words, but the message in his eyes said everything she'd need to know. _I don't hate you and I want to get to know you._ With a meaningful nod, the Naruto in front of her vanished - as he broke his meditative state to gain control back in the real world. Feeling drained from the long morning and the mental stress from the fight and conversation, Ino settled herself against the wall to rest. Only minutes passed before the young Yamanaka glided easily into the equivalent of a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Naruto glided his way to the Hokage tower. Finally so many things started to make sense, yet new questions arose. _Now what do I do with Ino, keep her company? How do we get her out? What does this mean with Sakura? And that bastard... is he part of Akatsuki? If he was Ino was... killed... because she was with me. And now he attacked when I was with Sakura. _He clenched his fists tightly. _I'll protect everyone!_

* * *

Tsunade grumbled while signing and reviewing some necessary paperwork for the maintenance of the village. A familiar soft rap on her door provided a welcome escape from the arduous task. "Come in Sakura."

Her young apprentice walked in slowly and closed the door behind her. "Tsunade-shishou, Naruto and I were attacked by the same guy as his last mission." _An enemy came into Konoha? _Tsunade resisted the urge to smash her desk, and nodded for Sakura to continue. "When we defeated him... his face changed to that of another man, just like Itachi's and Kisame's did on the mission where we rescued Gaara-sama. We think this may be a connection to --"

"Akatsuki" The hokage growled out bitterly. She stood up quickly, her chair clattering on the ground behind her. "Where's Naruto? Is he ok?"

"Yes, but... he found out about Ino. He is speaking to her alone. He should be here soon." _Maybe the Kyuubi cannot harm her if he knows. She has to be careful still. _"Tsunade-shishou? Maybe we should go after Akatsuki? If that technique gives a sacrifice the form of another, isn't it like they can send unlimited expendable assassins after Naruto!?"

The elder blonde considered, her eyes narrowing on her pupil. "That is possible... we don't know the nature of that technique. This complicates things. You also want to go after Akatsuki for a bijuu correct?"

Sakura nodded slowly, "But we don't even know where they are..."

A loud scrambling outside the window announced Konoha's noisiest ninja, as Uzumaki Naruto dived in the open window. "Tsunade-bachan, how do we get Ino back to normal?"

Conking him on the head with an angry breath she settled back down in her chair and rested her chin on her hands as she thought. "I'll explain to you and by extension Ino what I have learned so far as possible solutions to Ino's body." She then cautiously added, "Naruto, does your tenant know everything you do?"

He shook his head. "He knows some of what I feel, but only when I feel very strongly about something and he cares to listen. He's a lazy bastard fox."

Rolling her eyes at how the Uzumaki could sum up the most terrifying force the ninja world had ever seen as a "lazy bastard fox," she began to explain the various methods for restoring a certain Yamanaka.

As she finished, she was for once surprised that he didn't look completely stumped and remained silent. "Ino... would have to carry around a monster like me?" One of his hands gripped at his jacket that covered where the seal was. Sakura frowned at the sight.

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, or share your seal. Unless we can find a way to use the Kyuubi's chakra to heal her body from the outside. I don't think we could trust it to do that though. There are possibly other ways, but I do not know any now." She finished with a frown as the two team 7 shinobi glanced at each other with frowns of their own. _I'm sorry Naruto; I know it's harder on you than anyone to learn that one of your friends may have to carry a similar burden just to have a body again. _

Exhaling again, the Hokage thought about other pressing matters with the appearance of an attacker within the walls of Konoha. "I will send for Jiraiya to get the latest information on Akatsuki. There may be a mission soon. In the meantime, since you were attacked inside the village, it is feasible to believe that there could be future attempts. We also cannot guarantee that Naruto is the target yet, so I want the two of you to stay together. I'll have some ANBU watch your vicinity and increase security around the village. Now tell me everything you know about this attacker..."

As the Hokage finished, the two teens glanced at each other wide-eyed. She smiled smugly; she knew Sakura had finally given her favorite knucklehead a chance, so she shouldn't be too adverse to sharing an apartment with him for a while. _There is safety in numbers after all. _Sakura regaining her composure then began to explain the style and looks of their attacker while Naruto found the floor very interesting.

* * *

A/N: Keeping Naruto in character here was hard - picturing how he'd react to find someone was living in his mind messing dreams. Sakura is always easy I find; she's strong, determined, yet sensitive. Ino, well, I'd like to say she's in character based on the circumstances surrounding her. I imagine anyone (despite how noisy/bossy they are on the surface) would be flinchy and emotional if they had gone through half of what she has.

The next few chapters mark the beginning of possible alternative 'routes' I may go. If no one has really given arguments for one or another solutions (with explained why certain characters would support them plus how it could be pulled off) I'll go with my own instinct see where my writing takes me and adapt as I go.


	14. Chapter 14

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

After listening to the detailed encounter from Sakura, Tsunade began to deliberate and file away the important information. _An opponent who is possibly alive still by some advanced shape shifting technique that can control dozens of rods at once. _"You two can continue your day now. I'll have ANBU watch all the residential areas." Digging into her drawers, she found something newly developed for sending signals. They were short tags, that when triggered would set of a flash to all other tags of their kind in a half mile radius. They were still being tested by ANBU squads, and the major downside is that they are gone after one use. "Use these seals if you are attacked again, and back up should arrive shortly. Activate it like an explosive tag, but be careful, I'm only giving you one." Both shinobi pocketed the tags and nodded before leaving.

Tsunade sat back and rubbed her temples before beginning to sift through files of potential missing nins who matched their description of the attacker. Finding nothing in any of the bingo books, she poured a glass of sake and downed it in a gulp. _I need Jiraiya here... If I know Naruto and Sakura, they are going to want to go after Akatsuki regardless of anything else. _Glancing at the disarrayed clutter on her desk she saw the Ino's file. _And how are we going to restore the Yamanaka? Using the bijuu is always dangerous, and we only have the one. _Mumbling, the Hokage went over the latest reports from Jiraiya regarding Akatsuki's latest dealings.

The two teenagers departed the Hokage's office quietly, climbing down the long staircase in thought. Sakura glanced at her friend who appeared to be spaced out with a slight frown. Quickly deciding she didn't want a brooding Naruto, she brushed against his arm. "Naruto, we will stay at my apartment ok? We can go get any stuff you need right now."

He quickly blinked and looked at her, blushing lightly. _The goof wasn't even thinking about sharing an apartment. _He quickly started to stammer, "A-are you sure Sa-Sakura-chan? I can bother Tsunade-bachan later and get her to let me stay in my own place"

She nudged him, "Yes, I'm sure Naruto. My new apartment has 2 bedrooms, so it will be fine. You can have Ino's room. I don't think she'll mind in this case. So just listen to Tsunade-shishou, or do you not want me as a roommate?" She pouted with mock hurt lacing her last statement.

He quickly shook his head, "Of course not! Its um, I've never really lived with anyone before and..." he mumbled something she was unable to catch.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him and said sweetly; "You'll have to speak up Naruto, you mumbled off there" _He's so fun to tease._

Her friend only blushed deeper, and walked faster. She caught the words "like a dream come true"

Feeling her cheeks heat up, she smiled and caught up to him and bopped him on his head playfully. They walked the rest of the way enjoying a companionable silence.

Upon reaching the rustic building his room was in, they wasted no time in finding the only home Naruto had ever known. It wasn't the first time she saw it, but her heart ached every time she saw how little he owned. His place didn't feel like a _home. _It wasn't that it was messy, just if not the ramen cups no one could identify it as his place. The furniture he did have were all hand-me-downs, and she wondered why he didn't ever have back problems from that ratty mattress he used. She knew the only time Naruto ever spent time here was when he slept, but everyone should have a comfortable _home_ her thoughts insisted.

While Sakura mused about the room, Naruto had walked over to his closet and pulled out a small scroll and tucked it into a pocket of his jacket. "Ok Sakura-chan, got all the stuff I'll need."

She turned to his voice and raised an eyebrow. "You're not bringing any changes of clothes or anything?" He grinned and patted the scroll in his pocket.

"Did you see me carrying around a bag when I got back to Konoha from my training Sakura-chan?" She thought back to when he was standing on the pole on their reunion those weeks ago. _He didn't have any luggage at all come to think of it. _He beamed and explained. "Ero-sennin taught me a lot on sealing, so now I just need this scroll and I have all the clothes and stuff I need!"

She nodded; she knew of the technique but had never learned it herself. "You'll have to teach me that sometime, it would make longer missions a lot more comfortable." She smiled at his eager nod and acknowledgement.

Her eyes then trailed to the corner where she sensed something amiss. _A genjutsu?_ "Naruto what's this?" She knelt down and released the illusion, and grinned at herself. Grabbing the no longer hidden bundle, the pink-haired girl turned to him with a mischievous smile. "Why Naruto, don't you think you may need this?" She held up a purple miniskirt. His eyes went wide in confusion of what she found in his room.

Stammering, he tried to defend himself. "It's not mine honest! I don't know how it got there" She threw Ino's clothes at him and snickered.

"Relax, I know its Ino's." _Shannaro, playing with him will never get old!_

A short time later, the two found themselves in the relatively larger apartment that was shared by Ino and Sakura. It was a simple layout, with the door leading into the main room which doubled as a living area and kitchen, with a hall splitting two bedrooms and a bathroom at the end. Sakura directed Naruto to the left doorway in the hall and ushered him inside. "This is Ino's room, so you'll stay in there."

He looked the room over and paled at the sight of the bed. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at his reaction to the frothy sea of white lace and comforters. "I'm sure you'll find it plenty softer than your usual bed. Feel free to make yourself at home, I'm going to go get some groceries since I haven't yet this week. Want to come?"

He shook his head in reply, and reached out tentatively at the mass of white lace as if he expected it to bite his hand off. Sitting cautiously on the soft mattress, he looked spooked as his weight caused the foamy mattress to dip slightly. Shifting his shoulders around, he answered "I'm going to _talk_ to Ino if that's ok."

She nodded, "Ok, I'll be back in a few hours." Sakura closed the door, leaving the Uzumaki sitting perilously on the dainty bed. Exiting her apartment she made her way to the market with one thought on her mind. _Sharing an apartment with Naruto already! Shannaro!!_

* * *

Ino watched as Naruto poked at the frothy white lace adorning _her_ soft feather mattress. He acted as if he never saw something quite like it and his emotion could only be described as thick disapproval. With a sigh, he finally lay back letting the soft material engulf him. Closing his eyes he concentrated on moving into his mindscape.

When he appeared in front of her, she marched up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Just what's wrong with my bed Uzumaki? It's a lot better than that lumpy foam you call a mattress!"

Naruto shrugged and with his hands on the back of his head in a nonchalant gesture. "Nothing is wrong with it Ino-chan." He peered to the side and then with a grin added, "If your taste is gaudy and overdone."

She huffed indignantly. "My taste is NOT _gaudy_ and overdone!" _The nerve of him! He should be happy about a soft bed! _Stomping her feet she continued to poke him in the chest for emphasis of her rant. "You wouldn't know taste if it bit you in the ass, what with your orange obsession!"

With mock hurt he staggered backward away from her dreaded finger, pouting he added. "What's wrong with orange?" She began preparing a verbal assault on fashion taste and how orange was a "kill me color" in the shinobi world when he concluded under his breath. "It's better than purple."

Ino had always aspired to be the perfect girl she thought guys desire. She put much effort to sustain her substantial vanity, going so far as living on a perpetual and unneeded diet. However, the Yamanaka had always overlooked one aspect of her being every guy's dream girl. She was quick to anger, and her tantrums put the Hokage's to shame. Perhaps it was fortunate that Naruto was one of the few guys who had an unexplained taste in girls with firecracker tempers. The pale blonde had a short fuse, and was about to ignite on the Kyuubi-vessel who seemed to be pushing all of her buttons.

That is until he calmly placed his hand on her shoulder. She stared at the offending appendage, as if expected her sight alone would cause it to burn away. Then she heard his voice, no longer a mocking tone, "Now that's the Ino-chan I know. I was getting worried at how you were earlier." Her cold blue eyes simply stared at his sincere expression._ He got me angry just because of that?_

Ino brushed his hand off and blew at her platinum blonde hair that had altered to block the front of her face as she internally debated whether she should sock him or not. Carefully considering that at least now she didn't feel quite as terrible as earlier she ruefully decided to spare her fellow blond. _Only Uzumaki can cheer someone up by pissing them off. _Not knowing what to say to him, she leaned back and looked at him expectantly.

He sat down slowly and was silent for a moment. His grin was gone, in favor of that pained serious expression she thought that looked so wrong on him. "You heard what Tsunade-bachan said?" Paling, she sat facing him and after a moment nodded slowly. _If I want my body back I may have to host a demon or share Naruto's... _He slammed his fist into the ground. Ino noted that if this was the real world she was sure his hand would be bleeding from the blow. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Ino. I don't want any of my friends to have to carry a burden like mine. The Kyuubi... can't be trusted either"

She knew his reasons without him explaining after watching so many memories, yet she couldn't help but feel touched about his concern. "What else can I do? Tsunade-sama said it would be risky if we just tried a demonic chakra infusion. The Kyuubi would have to voluntarily do it. How could we trick an ancient fox?"

Naruto looked pensively at her. "I don't know, but if I think of a way I won't risk you getting a seal."

Despite the dark topic, she couldn't help but smile at him. "Thank you Naruto."

He smiled back and he fidgeted about. "Um, well how about I get to know you better now? All I know about you was you used to fight with Sakura-chan about Sasuke-teme and use weird mind techniques."

_Of course. _It was hard to remember, that despite her knowing Naruto on a more intimate level after experiencing much of his life from a first hand perspective, he still hardly knew her. _Where can I begin...?_ With a weary sigh, Ino started to share with him anything and everything to satisfy her unusually quiet container. Beginning with her deepest secrets - she thought it was only fair since she had learned so many of his - they soon talked of many things. The entire time Naruto only added the occasional snarky or supportive comment and wore a genuine smile.

He was truly glad that he had the opportunity to learn more about a friend he was always curious of and save her from the loneliness of his own mind at the same time.

* * *

A/N: I suppose it's more of a filler chapter. I'm still contemplating where I plan to go with the next few chapters, and this was more of a transition/interaction between characters.

I'd like to say a big thank you to all those reviewers and I'd like to add I finally have more alerts (57 now) than reviews! As always if you have any suggestions for my writing, or think one of the "Ino-solutions" is better than the others, please do not hesitate to post.


	15. Chapter 15

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

A cool autumn breeze blew down the cliff side of Konoha. The chilly breeze swirled around Sakura, her hair flapping in the current. Hugging her parcels closer with a slight shiver at the coldness, she scurried home. The late afternoon of the day brought a chilly wind, and she suspected the weather may get colder in the coming weeks.

She didn't shop often, because both Ino and she had always had little appetites, and as a result they did not keep to tending a well stocked kitchen in the week and a half they shared the apartment. She had already concluded that sharing living quarters with Naruto and his metabolism of doom would not be possible with a desolate fridge and pantry. Besides, she could show off some of her cooking to the blond and force him to eat a more balanced diet.

Shifting the bags of food in her arms, she fumbled with the door to her apartment and walked inside. "I'm back, Naruto!" She was answered by silence, so carefully sat down the bags on her table and went to check up on her friend where she left him those hours earlier. She stifled a giggle at his form sprawled out, his orange and black clashing with the fluffy white lace of Ino's bed. He lay spread eagled perpendicular to the bed with his knees dangling over the edge. _He is either napping or still talking to Ino. I wonder what they've talked about for so long? _Biting her lip, she closed the door softly and proceeded to put away her purchases.

Sakura sighed to herself as she wistfully thought about their situation. She wished she had half of Naruto's optimism, with the shadow of Akatsuki looming overhead and her best friend trapped bodiless inside the man they had somehow come to an agreement about. Clicking her tongue and leaving some fresh vegetables out, the Haruno would get one good deed done this day. Naruto would eat something green, even if she had to shovel it in forcefully. Knowing that his horizons concerning dietary practices and food consumption was quite narrow, she kept it simple throwing together a kitchen sink salad for the both of them. If he ate that without complaint, she'd promise to treat him to ramen at Ichiraku for lunch tomorrow.

With a satisfied nod, she tip toed into Ino's room and loomed over the still young man. _He's talked with Ino long enough for now, I'm sure he's hungry. _Brushing her rosy locks from her eyes, she leaned down and pinched his nose shut with a smirk. He reflexively sputtered and looked up quite dazed. "Sakuraaa-chan that was mean!"

Sticking her tongue out at him, she hauled him up. "Come on Naruto, it's time to eat. I made us some salads." His face contorted into an adorable pout - but she didn't plan to let him win. Lightly grasping at his ear, she tugged him into the hall. "I don't want to hear any complaints Naruto." His shoulders sagged in a sullen manner. "And if you eat it all, we'll have Ichiraku for lunch tomorrow my treat." She finished with a coy smile, as Naruto stood to attention and darted for the table. _Hook, line, and sinker._

By the time she had reached her spot at the table, her whiskered friend had already _inhaled_ his helping of produce. She gave him a love tap on the back of his head, and used her most convincing lecturing tone. "Naruto, I'm going to have to teach you manners if you're going to stay here." _Again with that pout... Resolve weakening!_ Inner-Sakura was no help, cooing and making goo-goo noises at the antics of her blond crush. With a sigh, Sakura sat down and gazed at her friend in what hoped was a disapproving grimace. However, her look was betrayed by the amusement twinkling in her emerald eyes.

_It's so easy to be myself around him._ She thought fondly, after she finished her meal. "How is Ino doing, Naruto?"

Toying with his fork, he looked up as if he didn't expect the question. Adopting a more serious expression - he always was with his friends he answered, "She is doing better now I think. I tried cheering her up and had her tell me about herself." He stroked at his chin, ruining his serious otherwise serious expression. "You never told me she saved you from bullies back when you were kids." He beamed at her, obviously approving that someone else had looked after _his_ Sakura-chan before he knew her.

Nodding slowly, "Ino was my first friend, and it's because of her that I gained confidence and got through the academy... until" He cut her off waving his hand.

"It's ok Sakura-chan; we don't need to talk about _him_." They shared a quiet nod, both knowing in their hearts they'd save their wayward brother some day. For a few hours they enjoyed pleasant conversation about easier times, reflecting on all those past missions from their early genin days.

After a short silence, Naruto sat back with a weary sigh, looking sullen once again. Furrowing her brow Sakura inquired, "It's about Ino isn't it?" He nodded.

Standing up he turned away. "I've carried this burden and the hatred that went with it my entire life. I didn't even know _it_ was inside of me until the day of the genin exams." She gasped at hearing that; upon learning she had assumed he always knew - what was the Sandaime thinking keeping him in the dark about that? Ignoring her, Naruto only went on. "All I had ever wanted was recognition, and everywhere I went I was scorned and I could see the cold stares in their eyes. When I did finally learn, and even when people started to acknowledge me for who I am, I still have this heavy feeling of _responsibility_. It's my dream to be Hokage and protect everyone, not just from our enemies, but from my own demon within."

She bolted toward him and embraced him in a tight hug from behind. "Naruto... I know your dreams will come true. You're strong."

He placed his hands over hers and relaxed within her embrace. "Thanks Sakura-chan... I just don't like the sound of Ino having a similar fate to mine. I wasn't strong enough to save her, and if that's the only way then Akatsuki will be after her too, and she'd have the nightmares and fear of what is inside." She felt terrible as he finished, tears starting to well up in her eyes. _I thought that using a demon would be best for Ino. Was I taking the idea of being a jinchuuriki for granted just like Akatsuki? I hadn't thought of it that way... _

Naruto turned around sensing her doubt, and hugged her close, carefully brushing the wetness away with a rough finger. "You always cry too easily Sakura-chan. We'll do what we have to do to save her, and we'll help protect her when the time comes won't we. Believe it!"

_I always feel so warm with him. _She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you Naruto. I'm going to go to bed now."

"I will too, I'll talk to Ino a bit longer." Sakura smiled and nodded. _I'd figure I'd feel jealous that he was giving her so much attention, but I'm glad for it. It just shows how far he will go for any of his friends. _With a tight hug, the close friends departed to their respective beds to sleep for the night.

* * *

Despite the irritating lace, Naruto had to admit Ino's soft mattress gave him the most comfortable night of sleep he could remember having. Very little of the dawn's light came through the thick curtains shielding the room's window. He had learned that she liked to sleep in; a luxury rare to members of their trade - and thus her room was on the west side of the house adorned with thick curtains to keep unwanted natural light from waking her from her slumber in the morning. With a yawn and stretch, he considered his surroundings before rising to his feet and settling on taking a morning shower.

The bathroom was unoccupied and he quietly closed himself in. _Sakura-chan must be sleeping still. _Stripping down and turning the tap on he stepped in, at first surprised then overjoyed that their place had fast working hot water. Humming a silly tune, the blond began his cleaning process, totally oblivious to the bathroom door opening.

A sudden squeak caused him to slip and trip out of the shower, pulling the curtain down in an ungraceful heap on the ground. His pink-haired love had apparently lazily wandered into the shower in a half-awake state, and was startled to see someone occupying her shower. "Sa-sakura-chan!"

She turned a deep shade of red, muttering an apology and slammed the door behind her. Naruto hid his embarrassment and smiled to himself. _I figured I'd be the one to walk in on her..._ Shaking his head, he replaced the curtain back and finished his routine.

Sakura remained quiet and red faced for the remainder of the morning. Their brief and awkward breakfast was interrupted by a knock at the door. They shared a brief questioning glance to each other, and then Sakura sighed and went to answer. Opening the door revealed a tall masked man wearing standard Konoha ninja attire with his forehead protector skewed over his left eye under a shaggy crop of silvery hair. "Kakashi-sensei? Do you need anything? Would you like to come in?"

He shook his head. "Good morning Sakura, Naruto. The Hokage sent me to fetch you two at once. Jiraiya has returned." His normal lazy tone of his voice then grew serious. "Two of the wall guards were killed last night; the assailants were driven off by our ANBU - but they were identified as wearing black cloaks with red clouds."

Both of his former students glanced at each other and made haste in following the jounin to meet with the two elderly Sannin.

* * *

A/N: Had a hectic day and cut this update short. I wanted to get some Naru/Saku-fluffish stuff in while I considered the plot. I had originally planned to give mission details this update, but alas real life ate my time.

Again a big thanks for your continued support; I've come to enjoy writing this story with these daily updates. And a special thanks to InvaderSpax - your insight and suggestions are much appreciated, allowing me to gain perspective on my own ideas.

And a final note; I've been reading back on the first few chapters of my own story, adding small revisions to any grammatical errors and phrasing some sentences better. If you do see any discrepancies in my writing compared to earlier chapters or errors feel free to point them out. I suppose I've a little perfectionist in myself and I like to fix even small problems ASAP :)


	16. Chapter 16

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The remaining originals of team 7 headed for the Hokage's tower. Upon reaching the tower, they silently climbed the stairs and deserted halls coming to Tsunade's office door. Kakashi ambled toward the door and knocked quietly. The answer from the Hokage's voice resounded through the surface. "Enter."

Tsunade sat in her high backed chair searching through scattered documents about her desk. "Ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled his alias for his lecherous sensei that stood to Tsunade's right at his full stature.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" The hermit roared in reply, while Tsunade hid a smile and mumbled something to the effect "truth hurts." Scowling, the white haired Sannin paced and said "Now's not the time for that. Akatsuki has been on the move now more than other. It's time I filled your team in on some of the details I've learned."

Naruto noted Jiraiya in his 'serious' mode. His normal goofy demeanor and lecherous grin replaced by a man of experience who has experienced the true horrors of the life as a shinobi in times of war. "Akatsuki have captured a few more of the tailed beasts. Among those I've confirmed are the Nibi, and the Sanbi. This means they possess at least three of the bijuu, but my gut tells me they have at least five or six. They will be after you Naruto, with increased vigilance."

His tone grew grim and purposeful. "I've also learned some of their longer term goals. I do not know all the details, but it seems they intend to start hiring missing nins and bandits across the continent and use a mercenary force to attempt to bankrupt the existing shinobi villages. The threat to our economy would cause our powers to wane, where then they could use the power of the tailed beasts to eventually destroy or conquer the region unopposed."

He grew silent. "I don't know what they intend to do with the power of the bijuu, but I think even they will have difficulty harnessing their true potential. There are some things that shouldn't be trifled with. The future of Konoha and shinobi life as we know it is threatened by the very existence of their organization now."

Tsunade nodded at his completion of the general intelligence on Akatsuki. Sakura and Naruto were speechless and openly gaped at the information; while Kakashi's stance stiffened slightly but betrayed no emotion. The Hokage stood up and looked sternly at the young ninja team. "As Konoha shinobi, we will fight this threat. We will start aggressively pursuing the eradication of members of Akatsuki and attempt to find their bases of operation and disperse any bijuu they have acquired. I'd like to add that, from my continued research – I think using one of their own bijuus against them and restoring Ino will be our best plan in reviving her." Naruto's face fell and Sakura reached out and held onto his shoulder.

Tsunade sighed and walked up to the younger blond. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I do believe it's the safest option for Ino." Placing her hand on his other shoulder she added, "But look at it this way, she'll have a friend who knows the burden and can get support from."

A silent moment followed until Jiraiya cleared his throat and went on. "I have a summon tracking the two that attacked last night, and I have a hunch where I might find their new base of operations since Sakura rendered their previous one unusable in her fight with Sasori." Tsunade nodded approvingly at her pupil, and Sakura beamed proudly at the indirect praise of the Sannin. "Once I find this place, we will assemble a team and waste no time in pursuing. Fortunately for us, Akatsuki stay scattered in groups of two – so if things go according to plan we will not have to engage more than necessary on each mission."

Turning toward Naruto, Jiraiya walked up. "Naruto, you need to take your training to the next level now. You know your Rasengan is incomplete. I've talked with Kakashi and Yamato, and they will be assisting with using your wind element affinity! Asuma may also be able to help with some tips – he has a wind affinity as well" _A new jutsu!_

Naruto stood to his full height at attention. "I'll train hard!"

Tsunade then spoke. "Sakura, I will show you the necessary techniques to remove the stasis state from Ino as well as what will need to be performed by a med nin in regards to her recovery process."

Naruto glanced at Sakura, and swelled with pride at the resolution shining in her eyes. "Yes Tsunade-shishou!"

* * *

Ino was amazed at Naruto's passion toward his goal. After listening to the many explanations of his senseis – and speaking at length about wind techniques with her former sensei Asuma, Naruto didn't hesitate to dive into the rigorous methods. She observed as thousands of Naruto's all began simple training exercises, allowing him to learn at an exponential rate – shortening what should be years to days.

_I wish I could use Kage Bunshin and do that. This is all without using the Kyuubi's power. You really proved us all wrong Naruto. _

The week flew by for the young shinobi. Naruto trained hard under Kakashi and Yamato's supervision, increasing his chakra control and learning how to manipulate the wind element. Whenever Naruto took an extended break, he would meditate into a trancelike state to visit with Ino and keep her company.

Despite Naruto's conversations which she always looked forward to break the silence and darkness of her prison, she grew increasingly restless. Watching her friends put their entire beings into training while she could do nothing but observe was maddening to the Yamanaka. She soon found herself browsing Naruto's many memories and was studied his fighting style on a much closer level. His personality matched the manner in which he fought; brashly headstrong, lots of unnecessary movements, yet unpredictable, unyielding and always instinctively planning a contingency.

After having an epiphany, Ino herself to be in a perfect position in which to give Naruto criticisms for future fights based on _himself_. While not directly teaching him anything new, her going over his own past battles allowed for good conversation between the two blondes and gave both a sense of unity.

However, Sakura was totally absorbed by her training with Tsunade, and Naruto would not see her until he reached Ichiraku each evening. Every night she was wiped out from the strenuous training of the Hokage. Ino could only ponder that the techniques her friend was learning pushed Sakura to her limits each day.

The days passed mechanically for the duo of team 7; waking up and sharing a brief breakfast, going to their respective training, and meeting for a dinner at Ichiraku before a good nights rest.

On the sixth day Naruto had finally begun his original alterations to attain a wind enhanced version of the Rasengan. That same day, word from Jiraiya arrived claiming he had identified and located the current staging point of Akatsuki. His message was devoid of details other than he was returning personally to lead the mission.

* * *

The late afternoon sun was obscured by thick clouds – a portent of rain - when Sakura had learned the last aspects of her lessons for the week. Confident with the progress of her pupil, Tsunade had instructed Sakura that she take the time until Jiraiya returned to rest and prepare for a more than likely engagement with Akatsuki. After thanking her master for the complex training regiment, Sakura elected to find Naruto and spend the day with him.

She found her friend sitting on the bridge staring down at the river serenely. With a wide smile she ran up to greet him. "Hey Naruto!"

He perked up at the greeting and turned toward her. "Hi Sakura-chan!"

Sitting next to him she looked at the still water. "Tsunade-shishou told me to rest until the mission. Did your training go well?"

He nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin splitting his face. He pumped his arms out exclaiming, "I'm much stronger now, believe it! I'm sure you've learned a lot from Tsunade-bachan, too!"

She nodded with a fond smile. "Jiraiya-sama will probably return here early tomorrow. We'll probably be fighting Akatsuki again." The name of that organization alone left her feeling bitter. Naruto grabbed her hand and squeezed softly.

"I'm not worried Sakura-chan. Ero-Sennin, Kakashi-sensei, and Yamato-sensei are all going. Oh, and Asuma-sensei and Ino's team are going too!"

She mentally counted. "So there will be eight of us?"

"Nope, nine! Can't forget Ino-chan! We'll get her back!" She smiled again and laid her head on his shoulder.

They peacefully gazed at the clouds and slow moving water. Naruto glanced down at the pink form resting on his shoulder. The silky strands swayed in the wind, and he gently tucked some stray hair that dangled in front of her forehead and closed eyes behind her ear. He noted that her breathing was slow in a slow, steady rhythm. _Looks like she fell asleep, she looks so peaceful. _His thoughts were interrupted by the start of a drizzling rain, stray drops landing at irregular intervals.

Naruto gently shifted his legs around and stood on the bridge and gathered Sakura in his arms. She unconsciously latched her arms around him, causing him to securely hold her against his chest as he began the trek back to their apartment.

Using a clone to open the door, the Kyuubi-vessel brought his sleeping bundle into her room. Carefully placing Sakura on the bed, he was about to leave when her arms only tightened around him leaving him in an awkward position bent over the edge of her bed. Grabbing a large pillow, he quickly used a replacement to escape her grasp. He kissed her forehead lightly, as she mumbled, rolling over while hugging the pillow close. With a smile, he stood up and walked out of the room quietly shutting the door. _Get some rest Sakura-chan. _

Pacing to the living room, he flopped down against the wide couch leaning back in thought. So much had happened since that mission with Ino. She was put into this terrible situation just by being with him by Akatsuki. Now she would likely share a fate similar to his. Over the last week he'd gotten to know her a lot better, and was thankful for her many observations on his fighting style. Naruto was thankful to all his teachers, but Ino was the only person that actually gave him useful criticism on what he _was _doing and how he _could_ do different. _Kakashi-sensei was never much of a teacher to me, about actual techniques, and Ero-sennin thought it was best if things were learned alone. Ino-chan actually gives me pointers and shows what I could do different with the basic stuff._

Naruto found himself enjoying and looking forward to speaking to Ino. Finding her personality refreshing; he soon made it one of his favorite past times to occassionally push her buttons. He appreciated her sense of humor, and liked the shouting matches they found themselves in over the silliest things. Yet aside from that, he saw that Ino was sensitive and caring behind that haughty demeanor.

Closing his eyes he leaned back and focused on entering his mindscape – something that he found easy to do once he became aware of her presence. Opening his eyes, he was once again in the dark dungeons of his mind. _I really need to figure out if I can change this place. _"Naruto!" Ino chirped at him cheerfully, running up to glomp on him. He patted her back slowly; during this meetings he had quickly learned that Ino's entrapment in his mind caused her to crave any physical contact.

Finally releasing the taller blond, Ino stepped back swishing her platinum hair. "I was wondering when you'd come here after you put Sakura to bed." That was the one issue regarding Ino that he was still getting used to. His personal privacy was all but non-existant as far as she was concerned. Not that he minded the attention or that she knew what he was doing and feeling all the time; there's just something disconcerting knowing that every move you ever make is being watched by another.

"You know me too well already!" He smiled brightly at her. The first day he had spoken to her in his mind, she was but a shell of the Ino he had known in the past. It was heart wrenching to see her eyes so dull with depression and her emotions were even more trigger sensitive than normal. But now after many frequent visits, he was delighted to see that her posture was straight once again, her emotions stabilized, her temper returned (much to his chagrin), and her eyes shone brightly with that icy blue, filled with what he could only think of as a sense of determination and self possession.

She coolly smiled at him and neither said anything for a while. Soon he saw her eyes lock on something behind him, and followed her sight to the large gate that marked the seal to the greatest of the demons. Looking back at her, he could sense she was anxious and worried about many possible things to come. "Naruto? What's it… like having _it_ sealed in you? Does it feel... _funny_?"

He scrunched his face up thinking. "I uh, don't know if it _feels funny_. I've had _it_ my entire life."

"Oh right…" she could only dumbly reply.

Sighing, he knew she wanted assurance. "Ino, I don't think it feels any different on the outside. Chakra control was harder for me… and when I get angry he… I can't think that clearly. Gaara had it worse I think… the Shukaku would make it so he could never sleep peacefully eating without it eating his mind. So maybe each one is… _different?_"

She leaned against the wall and looked down, unblinkingly staring at the floor. Moving close to her, he turned her toward him. "Listen to me Ino-chan, whatever happens you'll be ok. You're strong and Sakura-chan and I will do whatever we can to help you. So---"

She flung her arms around him and squeezed him tightly sobbing quietly on his shoulder. _I wish I could do more for you Ino. _They remained like that for several minutes, with Naruto smoothing her hair in a soothing manner while she cried on his shoulder. Finally she released him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for being you, Naruto."

Blushing he mumbled, "Anything for you Ino-chan."

* * *

A/N: Alright, I diverted from my original plan in this chapter with the 'skip over week'. I did not go into detail with Naruto's training, and for intents and purposes it is to get him on the level he was in the manga after the Sasuke retrieval arc with the Rasenshuriken. I know the middle of this chapter was kind of blah, and it was more just a 'third person what happened'. This goes in with some of what I'm aiming to do. I do _not_ plan to have this story follow the manga and just with my own plot differences. However, some manga events (such as Naruto's training) and perhaps some specific battles and revelations I will incorporate (and have in an offscreen-ish matter like this chapter). As far as what is what; read and find out :P. I intend this to be something enjoyable and based off the personalities and abilities of the manga characters, yet with my own original overall plot.

That said, I'm happy again for the many positive reviews. Something I've tried to accomplish with this fic is a NaruSakuIno relationship that felt developed and tangible. I wanted separate development from NaruIno and NaruSaku, since I believe each girl is unique and has their own flavor in the way they mesh with the Uzumaki. In many triangle fics I've read, one or both of the girls is often just tagged on with an "and" at some point of the story - which was something I was trying to avoid. I wanted my characters to have some deeper level and 'feel' real. While it's an opinion whether or not I succeeded, I've tried 'picturing' my story in the anime and find the way it flows rather enjoyable :P

Finally - I've got a strong idea on what I intend to do with Ino. Just keep in mind that what the characters think and what I think are different - and I may even change what I think!


	17. Chapter 17

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The Hokage's office was a bustle of activity in the following morning. Jiraiya had returned and gathered the people selected for this mission. Tsunade began to debrief the many faces of what made some of the best shinobi that Konoha had to offer. "The eight of you -- ", she received a dirty look from Naruto - "will be following Jiraiya's lead to north of the border of Fire Country. He has tracked one of their hide outs a few miles east of the Waterfall border. Your mission is to forcibly incapacitate any Akatsuki members or affiliates and disrupt their ability to collect and store bijuu, and if at all possible restore Ino." _Shannaro! Akatsuki is going down!_

Jiraiya nodded. "Tsunade has fashioned a special container that will keep the stasis jutsu currently on her body, which I will have a summon carry to the necessary area when it is time."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "This sounds so troublesome -- surely Akatsuki will have some manner of defense, seals or traps set up? How will we engage any members we find?"

Jiraiya looked to Tsunade, when Kakashi spoke up. "We'll identify traps or seals as we get there. Jiraiya believes that only two members should be at the area in person. The rest seem to stay in contact with some form of long range communication techniques. Also, from our past battles with Akatsuki, they seem to favor independent combat and we've seen little teamwork within their ranks. It would probably be best if we broke into three balanced sub groups and draw them apart." The toad sage confirmed with a nod.

Chouji looked about, "What groups did you have in mind?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin in thought before replying. "Shikamaru and you would be with your sensei Asuma, while Sakura will work with me. Kakashi and Yamato will team with Naruto."

_I know why Yamato-sensei is with Naruto, but wh__y Kakashi too! _"Would it be possible if I worked with Naruto and Yamato-sensei? He's my teammate and Ino is my best friend..." Tsunade's expression softened and whispered in Jiraiya's ear.

Jiraiya mumbled then winked and elbowed Naruto. "Fine fine, you can accompany Naruto here, and I will work with Kakashi instead. That should give us three well balanced teams. Meet at the gate in twenty minutes, they will not know we are coming so let's make great haste!" The shinobi gathering nodded, and departed from Tsunade's office.

* * *

Soon enough, the shinobi assigned were dashing across the Fire Country jumping from tree to tree. Looking forward to Naruto's dashing form Sakura shuddered. _I have a bad feeling about this... _

Upon reaching the northern border of the Fire Country, they slowed their pace and gathered in three separate groups. Jiraiya broke the silence, his voice serious. "Akatsuki's hideout is somewhere ahead." He gestured toward a ravine flanked by rocky cliffs. "Be alert, and don't rush into a fight - they may have many tricks. Naruto, keep yourself calm especially."

"I got it, I got it!" Grumbled the hyperactive blond.

"Good, now spread out with your team, and if things go right, one team of us will not be engaged in combat. Use one of the seals in emergencies, so we can provide back up." A knot of worry grew in Sakura's gut, as the three groups scattered into the ravine. _I will protect Naruto from Akatsuki!_

Naruto took point with Yamato to his left and Sakura gliding close behind as they followed the right natural rocky wall. Ahead appeared to be a large man made gate built into the cliff. Sakura pointed and yelled "There!" A whoosh of air caused all three to jump backward and to the side. Familiar black bolts whizzing into the rock. _Not this guy again! Shannaro!_

The plain looking man with the diagonal scar landed ahead of them. "I must apologize for my master's inhospitality. You've come at a rather bad time, so we could not give you a proper greeting. However, you won't be escaping this time, Naruto-kun. The last times we fought my chakra capacity and techniques were limited to under sixty percent. Leader has charged me with your capture, and now I've had the opportunity to see first hand how you fight." _I thought Itachi was the one after Naruto? This is bad, he knows Naruto's style and he's stronger?_

Stiffening, Sakura looked at her friend worriedly who only wore a confident smile. "I don't care how much more chakra you have! You'll pay for what you did to Ino-chan" He whipped a kunai out and threw it toward the enemy who made no attempt to dodge. _A bunshin? _The blade collided with the man making a metallic clank, as his form melted away into blackened metal. _What was that!_

The black mass wavered about as some kind of misty vapor before taking the shape of several cross-shaped bars. The sun gleamed off the blackened tips as they began to spin and the wind roared in response. Bracing themselves from the strong wind a few of the crosses split apart into several rods each, rocketing toward the trio. _Shit, the wind is making it hard to dodge and react properly. _As the bolts neared, Sakura got ready to run up the cliff face with the wind at her back when a mass of tangled wood slid out of the earth, preemptively shielding them from the projectiles. _Yamato-senseis technique! _

Yamato bellowed over the roaring wind, "Now Naruto, use some of what you learned!" With a feral battle cry, Naruto prepared what looked to be a large rasengan of roaring wind. He uses several clones in a display of acrobatics to launch himself toward the spinning fans. A loud crash resounded against the cliff side the Sakura and Yamato clapped hands over their ears, the metal twisted and burned spinning into the brush and ground in an explosive fury of shrapnel after coming into contact with Naruto's futon: rasengan. "Up there!"

Sakura guided her eyes to the sky where Yamato pointed; standing on two floating bars was their opponent who sneered down on them. The sky around him filled with black metal rods, that when they would fall it'd be an inescapable deadly rain of spikes. Yamato prepared another wall of brambles and wood absorbing the rain when Sakura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. _What is that dolt doing now! _She looked to Naruto confused when he whispered in her ear. "Trust me Sakura; just get ready to hit him." She raised her eyebrow - and would soon wish Naruto would of explained what he was about to do.

While Yamato's wall constrained the projectiles, Naruto started by summoning a chain of clones running up the cliff, each one grabbing onto another forming a long link. Sakura then gasped, as the chain of Naruto's whipped her into the air. _I think I'm going to be sick! _She watched the ground and cliff side blur by as she dangled on the edge of the Naruto-whip. With a strained yell, each she felt her vertical velocity increase and focused on the perplexed scarred man floating in the sky. Yamato taking advantage of his confusion threw several kunai toward the nearby air surrounding the target - in an attempt to cause damage during a dodge. _It's a good idea Naruto, but I'm sooooo going to KILL YOU! _"Shannaro!!!" She screamed gathering chakra into her fist as the Naruto's let go sending her flying into the opponent. She smashed the man down towards the earth, and began to freefall.

The air in her lungs failed her as she tried to scream at the rapidly approaching earth only to be caught by a leaping Naruto. She huffed, trying to regain her breath, as Naruto set her down and began to inspect her damage on their crumpled foe. Standing behind her friend woozy on her feet, she tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Naruto..."

"Great work Sakura-chan!" He happily said turning toward her. She smashed him into the wall.

"Don't you 'great work' me! I AM NOT A WEAPON TO BE SWUNG AND THROWN!" She stomped and glared angrily at the blond.

"Hehe... sorry about that. It was Ino-chan's idea." He replied with a groan and pulled himself out of a heap of rubble.

Yamato only shook his head at mild amusement at the young shinobi. Naruto still held the title of most surprising ninja; after all it's not every day you see someone clone himself into a long whip to throw their teammate at the enemy like an oversized kunai. Glancing over at the body, they brushed off the dirt from the scuffle and were relieved to notice the face was the same as in life on the still form.

* * *

After healing the bruise she gave Naruto, Sakura began to think about the exchange at the start of the fight. Inquiring her team she wondered aloud. "About what he said... that they weren't ready to give us a special greeting. Does that mean that they didn't know we were coming and weren't prepared?"

The ANBU shrugged in response. "One way to find out, Jiraiya seems to think they had just recently sealed one of the demons. Let's check out the inside."

The three cautiously approached the large gate. "I don't see anything that could be a trap, and it doesn't appear to have any special seal. Who knows what's inside though? Sakura, mind opening it for us?"

"My pleasure!" Shouting she slammed a fist into the wall cracking the large door enough to grant them entry. "That... that's where they store the bijuus?" A grotesquely huge mass of stone that had what looked to be many _eyes_ scattered about its surface lay across the chamber past several raised pedestals. "It's hideous!" The three of them approached it, glancing about for signs of life or traps. "Are Akatsuki that overconfident to have nothing defending it?" She pondered, reaching her hand to feel what looked to be a smooth part of the statue.

The moment her gloved palm came in contact with the stone looking surface, images of pain, malice and death screamed through her mind. Her hand jerked away and her body folded up. Shrieking she convulsed on the floor cringing from the crystal clear memories of massacres and the pain of what must be a hundred deaths as her world went dark.

A lone sound echoed through the darkness. "'kura-ch!" She felt numb, and her senses were skewed at the dizzy feeling. Vaguely aware as her sense of touch returned, she felt as if something warm was holding her upright. The sound came again clearer and she struggled to open her eyes. "'kura-chan! Are you okay?"

"Na-Naruto?" She mumbled, prying her eyes open to see a blond blur hover over here. "What happened?"

"I think you discovered its _defense_ on accident." She recognized the stern voice of Yamato, as memory returned. She shivered at the after images of the fading pain, fear, and death in the corners of her mind. "I'd only hate to see what would happen if your hand wasn't gloved when you touched it... you screamed for minutes what do you remember Sakura?"

Naruto wrapped her arms protectively around her, as she shuddered relieved at the warmth he provided. "It's like I saw and felt first hand... all the deaths from the tailed beasts. The p-pain that people felt and the fear in their hearts all bursting out at once. It... was terrible!" She choked out. Naruto smoothed her hair.

"So we are correct, the bijuus are there. We should wait here for Jiraiya and the others. Rest up you two, I will keep watch." The ANBU nodded to his teammates and left the two teenagers to watch the opening.

"Are you ok now?" She nodded in reply, but remained on the ground tightly gripping her friend. She was thankful that the memories and sensations faded in under the warmth of Naruto.

* * *

A/N: Just pointing out, that any battles by the other teams will be left up to your imaginations (though you will be able to infer what the battle was like from the information released next chapter - shouldn't be that hard to guess if you read my 'manga correlation' note last chapter.) That said, I think another chapter or so and I'll be at a pausing point in this fic. Don't worry, I don't plan to stop in the middle of a cliffhanger, and will write as many chapters as it takes to be at a comfortable pausing point.

I wouldn't consider this a hiatus or break either. I have been writing daily updates for a long while now - and I am going to cut down on the number of chapters while I allow my idea pool to recharge. I still plan to try to update whenever I have time or ideas! Weekly updates are my only estimate at this time.

Another reason I plan to cut down the frequency of updates of Mind of Others, is I've been thinking of another fic to start. All I'll say at this point, while I'm still forming my thoughts is - it will be Naru/Saku, and take place pre time skip and the Naruto-world will go through a drastic change (you'll see!)

So enjoy, and as always let me know any comments!


	18. Chapter 18

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The grotesque statue loomed a few feet past them, as if watching them with its eerie eyes. Ino shuddered at the thought she may be linked to _that_ monstrosity. She felt Naruto's concern and doubt of the process, as he continued to sooth Sakura. The medic looked much better now; the experience had left her white at a sheet at first – but color had gradually returned to her while she lay in Naruto's arms.

Ino heard Yamato's voice echo through Naruto's senses. "The new ANBU alert seal also has indicates the general direction of other seals. It cannot be used – at least not yet – to determine distance. Though this is a double edged sword; if the enemy was to get their hands on one of our seals before we can expend or destroy it…"

The ANBU looked grim as his subordinates nodded and sat up, releasing each other. Naruto pulled Sakura to her feet, where she wobbled slightly before regaining her balance with a soft sigh. "Do you think the other teams are on their way?"

"Have faith, Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi-sempai are two of the greatest ninja Konoha has ever produced, and your friends of Team Ten I've only heard amazing things about."

Naruto nodded with his goofy grin. "I have faith in all of my friends!"

Long minutes in the dark passed, Ino dully noted that the vast chamber Akatsuki used to house their twisted extractions resembled the dankness of Naruto's mindscape. She shivered at the thought of just what her friends were going through for her. _This is dangerous, and will it hurt? Will I feel what Sakura did but longer? This is so terrifying!_

Despite being _in _him, she found herself longing for the comforting presence of Uzumaki Naruto. No matter how grim a situation was, he had that spectacular power to restore that shining ray of sunshine she could only think of as hope.

A sudden alertness from Naruto jostled Ino out of her thoughts as she saw him strain his eyes toward the darkness of the entrance Sakura had graciously made a while earlier. Hands tightening on weapons, the trio waited like tense wildcats, coiled and ready to pounce at the slightest movement.

The jovial booming voice of Jiraiya broke through the darkness. "Ho, you don't need to be all tense. It's just Kakashi and I." Stepping into the eerie glow cast by the faint light of torches nearer to the statue came the towering nin, his spiky white hair in disarray. Ino noted that his normal pristine attire was ripped, and the armor the sannin wore was burned and deteriorated in several places. Kakashi looked haggard, his vest was all but destroyed, and she could count numerous wounds across his body.

Sakura gasped at the condition of her sensei, and quickly moved up to begin healing. Kakashi nodded in thanks solemnly as she went about her work. Jiraiya's eyes passed toward the large structure. "That is an unpleasant sight. They have been storing the bijuus inside of that? I wonder what its real purpose is…" He went forward with his hand reached out.

Naruto growled and jumped out. "Don't touch it! It hurt Sakura-chan when she touched it through her glove. It showed her all the pain and death caused by those monsters." Jiraiya paled and looked toward the pink-haired girl who was absorbed in tending to Kakashi's wounds. "She's ok now, but when she brushed against it earlier she was in great pain and passed out briefly. Ero-sennin, what happened to you and Kakashi-sensei?"

"We were in combat with a hideous member of Akatsuki who introduced himself as Kakuzu. I've never seen someone so vile; his body seemed sewn together from past opponents he defeated. It took nearly all we had to destroy his many hearts." Jiraiya looked away; Ino noted it had to be just one of many battles the elder nin wished he would be able to forget. "But what he can do is no longer important; we were able to finish him ultimately. I'm worried about Team 10 though, who knows what they are up against."

With a weary sigh, the older sage knelt down and pulled out several scrolls from his pack. "I will explain the necessary arrangements for what Tsunade and I believe will be needed to restore Ino now. The first problem is extracting the bijuu from its current storage. Fortunately for us, that should be easier than removing it from an actual human with a seal. However, it would require some physical contact with… this _statue_." He grimaced at what Naruto had told him regarding Sakura. "Which complicates things. Other than that, Sakura will need to regulate Ino's vital systems while I direct the bijuu's essence and chakra into a seal on her." Ino swallowed a lump in her throat, and trembled as the explanation of the process.

"We will also need to select a bijuu of course. I believe they have the Ichibi, Nibi, and Sanbi currently sealed in here. The Nibi would probably be the tamest for Ino – the Sanbi was never sealed to begin with, and was a vicious beast acting only on feral instinct, and I believe you are all well aware of what the Shukaku can do." Her insides turned to ice at his casual tone of the grave information. _The Nibi no Nekotama, huh?_

"I need to figure out if there's a way to alleviate the effects of what Sakura felt now. I can then prepare the rest with her help." He adopted a thoughtful expression, as he looked over several of his sealing scrolls.

Naruto's emotion fluxed to a vague understanding to his powerful determination. She gasped as she realized he was walking up and touched the statue. His teeth clenched tight and she felt the pain surround him, but he did not give in to the induced nightmares of the surface. "Ero-sennin, I think I can help with this." Jiraiya looked up to see the blond, under duress but touching the block with both hands.

Sakura looked up and screamed at him seeing him touch the statue. Ino screamed herself in his mind, "_Naruto, you don't have to do all this for me!" _Surprising everyone he smiled. "I can handle this, I hold the Kyuubi after all…"

The other Konoha shinobi could only nod grimly. Jiraiya spoke up, "Well, it seems I'll have to use you as the conduit. Sakura, are you ready?"

Standing up from Kakashi's side, she approached the sannin. "Yes, where's Ino now?"

Making a series of symbols he performed the summoning technique. An armored toad, about as large as a carriage a feudal lord would use appeared. On his back lay a clear capsule which Ino shivered as she saw her own still and pale body in. _Seeing my own body like that is enough to make me sick._

"Kakashi, Yamato, be ready in case Asuma calls for aid. Naruto, I'm sorry but if you can stay like that for a while…" He nodded briefly. "Sakura, begin the unstasis and regulating techniques you learned from Tsunade. Naruto, can you focus your mind on the beast that seems cat-like?" He nodded again, and strained his mind. Ino could only feel the impression of his intense concentration, and the tingling pain that spread throughout his body.

Jiraiya and Sakura gently lifted the capsule off the frog which was promptly unsummoned. Jiraiya turned the capsule upside down and carefully opened the hinges – and at Sakura's questioning glance he said, "The nature of this seal can be placed on the abdomen, or her upper back. I figured she'd prefer it there." Sakura nodded, and they unfastened the garb exposing the bare back of the still pale blonde body.

"Naruto, you may feel a burn, but you cannot let go at anytime." He nodded. Jiraiya placed his hand on the back of his student jinchuuriki and began drawing seals with his other hand on Ino's upper back just beneath her shoulders.

Ino could not see what Sakura was doing, Naruto had closed his eyes and stood facing determined not to give into the intense burning pain as Jiraiya began pulling the Nibi out of the statue.

If she was in a real body, she would be sure she'd be sweating in anxious anticipation of the suspense. Ino settled for trembling as she sat quietly on the hard floor. After what seemed like an hour of silence where Naruto had shut off all of his outward senses finally he opened his eyes at Jiraiya's piercing voice. "Naruto, get Ino in control now!"

She was both startled and comforted by the sudden warm hand placed on her trembling shoulder. "It's ok Ino; trust Ero-sennin and Sakura-chan!" She nodded, and allowed herself to fall into the pool.

The darkness engulfed her once again. Until finally she stumbled off her feet, and crashed to the ground on her face in Naruto's body. Groaning she pushed herself up. _He could have at least sat down before he told me to take control. _"Ino?" Jiraiya asked. She nodded in Naruto's body. "Quickly use the same technique on your own body – it is living once again!"

She looked down at the capsule. _Her_ chest was raising and falling with the rhythmic motion of breathing. Quickly performing the hand signs, she launched her mind and soul into her own body delighted at the fleeting thought that her friends have finally restored her.

* * *

Sakura watched as _Naruto_ performed signs she normally attributed to her best friend and rival. _His hands just look weird in those poses! _Naruto collapsed bonelessly to the ground, and she turned her attention to Ino – the real Ino now beneath her. _We did it, she's back!_

Then she started to sweat as Ino's breathing started becoming ragged and erratic as she thrashed about. Holding her down, Sakura checked for her pulse. "Jiraiya, her vital signs are weakening! What's happening?"

"What!! She was completely stable before she jumped in! Shit, the demonic chakra is repelling Ino's spirit!" He quickly started performing some seals. Naruto began to wake up and groggily turned his attention to the scene, and Sakura screamed for Ino to hold on, using all her knowledge to hold the fragile life inside of her.

"Her breathing stopped, resuscitate her fast!" Sakura turned her over and knelt down, praying her friend would make it. _Please Ino, we've come so far._

A few suspenseful minutes trying everything the two nins knew, under the anxious audience of Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato -- Ino's condition was finally stabilized.

Sakura wiped the sweat of her brow, "Jiraiya-sama… what in the hell just happened?"

He looked troubled, and inspected the seal and delved some of his chakra into her. "I'm… not sure. It appears as if the Nibi was consumed itself in the resurrection. It either passed away leaving or has gone into a deep hibernation. When Ino wakes up, her chakra will not be a human's. It appears that when she entered, the spirit component of her chakra collided with the bijuu's living in her body. I made this seal to allow Ino's mind to re-enter, and so the first outside spiritual force should have had a stronger impact. But I didn't think it would consume the bijuu."

Sakura thought to herself. _Isn't this a good thing? _"Doesn't this mean she's _not_ like Naruto then?"

The sage shook his head. "I don't think this has ever happened. Her chakra... will never be human, but neither is she truly a vessel of a demon either. She's a human with _only_ demonic chakra. This is troubling; I do not know how this will bode for her ninja career if she chooses to continue."

Naruto looked shaken. "But she will live right?"

Sakura nodded. "She's just going to be unconscious for a while. She will be ok… we'll get her through this!"

* * *

A/N: Believable scenario? Since this has probably left a lot of you wondering of what is going to happen with Ino, I will say now that: No, she's not going to become some super powerful half demon etc. More or less, she's going to have to completely learn how to control and manipulate her chakra. Also, her reserves have not exponentially increased – she is _not _another Naruto. Whether she gains any latent abilities, have yet to be conceived. As you will see in the future, this does not really put her on a new power level, except it may perhaps give her an increased ceiling, which her potential can eventually rise to.

As a NaruSakuIno story, I do not wish to disrupt any balance of power – and as such, this may change some of what Ino can do. For example, I think it would be logical that she would no longer be able to practice medical jutsus with demonic chakra (and the poor control she will have to go with it). Some new techniques may open up to her, while some older ones will become more difficult. She will roughly remain on a similar power scale as Sakura – but specialize in different areas. I have written most of this story by ear (I had the general idea where I was going laid out, but not details such as this) – so we'll see what this means when we get there eh?

Also, tomorrow's update will be kind of the end of the daily updates. I may still do several updates a week (depending on my mood, time, and whether my muse is providing me with that many ideas). I am not totally decided yet, but I may _end_ this story, and start what happens next in a sequel story. If I do that, I'll be sure to post another special chapter that says where to look, for all those with this story on alert to check the new one. We'll see how that goes. I may just continue this one – lazy man's way heh.

Finally – I have started piecing together what I have planned in my new NaruSaku story. I'm going for a slightly more tragic twist, and I hope to have the first installment out sometime in the middle of this week. Goals on both this new story and future chapters of Mind of Others will be longer chapters. Until then, enjoy!


	19. Chapter 19

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The dim torchlight bathed the room in a dark glow. Performing an in depth checkup, Sakura finally concluded with confidence that Ino was _alive_ and should make a full physical recovery. Letting a relieved sigh escape she tuned in on Jiraiya who was discussing with Kakashi what could be done with the grotesque backdrop of the scene. The gargantuan statue that emanated evil and pain, she shuddered just thinking about it. _At least two more bijuu are imprisoned inside. We could mess up all of their plans if we could destroy it… Shannaro! _Inner-Sakura made a smashing motion, causing her to wonder if she could shatter it like an oversized boulder.

"Jiraiya-sama, do you think I could destroy it with a heavy punch?" The white haired sannin turned to the pink-haired girl, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't believe so, if I'm not mistaken that _thing_ is unbelievably hard, and would take a powerful jutsu to cause any lasting damage. It is no doubt brimming with demonic chakra."

Naruto stood up and began to stretch his arms out, "What about my newest technique?"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "That technique isn't complete yet, I do not think it would be safe to use." Sakura raised her eyebrow. _What new technique? It sounds dangerous!_

"But Kakashi-sensei, this is important, and I can do it!" Naruto stomped and looked at the bulbous structure.

Kakashi looked to the elder nin. Jiraiya looked thoughtful, "Ok Naruto, you can try it. Let's see how much you've learned!"

"Yosh, here goes!" He summoned the necessary clones and began forming another wind based rasengan. Her eyes narrowed, this was different. This time four sharp points formed and spun resembling a giant shuriken of spiraling wind. _Wow that looks amazing! _The others backed away, as Naruto centered in front with his kage bunshin and the mass of wind and chakra swirling in his hands raised above his head. "This is my Rasenshuriken!"

Running forward he thrust his palm with the jutsu toward the center eye of the creepy statue. Sparks of bright light erupted in the room and the ground began to shake. A single large crack formed diagonally down the statue which began to vibrate quickly. Naruto screamed in pain and jerked his arm back falling to the ground. "Naruto!" Sakura sprinted over holding his shoulders and pulling him away from the vibrating rock.

The statue began to _blink_ and shake. Finally with a bright flash of light temporarily blinding the Konoha shinobi, they rubbed their eyes blinking surprised to _not see _the statueNot even a pile of rubble remained. "This is… Amazing. They must have had some bizarre summon or teleport jutsu the likes of which I've never heard of attached as a seal if it should ever incur damage. From the crack, I don't think it was destroyed, but I bet it'll slow down anything they have planned. Good work Naruto!" Jiraiya beamed at his student. The perverted sage's smile quickly fell when he saw Naruto tightly gripping his arm, and his face twisted in pain.

Sakura wasted no time, ripping off the sleeve of his jacket. _This is terrible! _She began to deaden the nerves of his arm to relieve his pain, and restore the damaged muscle tissue. Feverishly working under the concerned eyes of Naruto's many senseis, she did what field treatment she could on her totally silent now patient. Looking at him, his eyes were focused on his arm. "Naruto, that technique is too dangerous! You can permanently damage your arm if you use that again!"

Kakashi spoke up stepping forward. "I was afraid of this; the technique is only half complete. You shouldn't use that unless in a last resort scenario."

Jiraiya nodded grimly, and was about to say something when a sound from the doorway caused them to whirl toward it. The stricken face of Shikamaru stumbled toward them, Chouji not far behind. Naruto bellowed toward his lazy friend. "Shikamaru, you're here! I knew you'd beat your opponent!"

Shikamaru didn't answer his face distant and strained. Sakura's eyes traced to Chouji carrying a large bundle. _Oh no! _Running toward him, she saw the tears in Shikamaru's eyes. Chouji remained silent, looking haggard. Shikamaru looked at the ground, his eyes red. "He's dead. We beat some troublesome Akatsuki nin who called himself Hidan, buried him under the cliff, but Asuma-sensei is dead." She frowned, seeing the dead son of the Sandaime Hokage. _This mission wasn't a total success after all. _She reflected sadly. Sakura hadn't known Asuma well, but he was Ino's sensei and seemed like a nice guy and powerful ninja.

A moment of silence followed. Jiraiya sighed and placed his arm on Shikamaru's shoulder, "This is the worst part of a shinobi's career. Come… lets return to Konoha"

Yamato scooped up the still unconscious Ino in his arms, and Naruto leaned on Sakura. The solemn group set some explosive tags on the door opening, after exiting the large chamber. After collapsing the door, they proceeded home with heavy hearts.

* * *

Rain drummed on the dark streets of Konoha. Thunderhead clouds cast long shadows over the quiet village. The sky would alight only briefly for each flash of lightning; where soon after an accompanying loud crash of thunder would resounding over the country just a second apart each jolt of light. The sky roared, one such thunderclap dwarfing the rest in a near deafening explosion.

The loud roar ringing in her ears, Ino squinted her eyes open. The dim glow of a light from the nearby hallway peeked in around the partially closed curtain. _A hospital room? _She tried to sit up, but failed miserably in a flop against her pillow. Putting her arm in front of her she tried to remember where she was last. Her arm refused, and she felt as if her muscles were all jelly. With her head propped on the pillow, she peered down her face and could make out a hospital gown gracefully flowing down the attractive curves of her chest. _Her chest_. _They did it! I'm in my body! _

She attempted to shout for joy but only a strangled gurgle came out. Closing her eyes she began to recall the dark room with that grotesque statue. The last thing she could remember was Naruto's comforting words that they'd get through this. She carefully tried flexing and clenching her outer extremities. She could feel the hospital bed sheets gently glide between her stiff fingers. Joy at her progress, she gently rotated her wrist, feeling her hand slowly slide around. _Is this the effect of being separated for so long? _

Her earlier gurgle had not gone unheard and soon a shadow blocked the dim light leaking into her room, the darkness cast over her heavy eyelids. Squinting, she vaguely made out the shape of something bright yellow and spiky with a dash of ocean blue. _Naruto! _She attempted to squeal his name in glee, but unfortunately came out more as a hacking gag.

"Ino-chan, you're awake! Take it easy, Tsunade-bachan said it'd be a while before you could move normally. She gave me this to tell you to drink when you awoke, said it'd help some." The girl tried to nod, but only succeeded in dipping in chin slightly. "Here, I'll help!" The energetic blond happily chirped and gently opened her mouth and held a vial toward her lips.

A vile tasting concoction dripped on her tongue and she tried to cough but only managed a pitiful wheeze. Naruto seemed oblivious to her plight, in his attempt to help pouring the foul liquid down her throat. She sputtered and coughed, reflexively swallowing. She grimaced closing her eyes tightly. _Ugh I'm going to kill him! _Her hand seemed to be moving easier now, and she slowly inclined her head upward. Her growl came out as a slight mewl "Naarcho!"

"Is that better Ino-chan?" She _did_ find it easier to move and flailed her arm about trying to knock that obnoxious grin off his face. "You can move some now, hurray!"

_I give up, I'll kill him later. _Coughing, she tried speaking again, finding it much easier. "Thhaans Narustho. My bothy feelths lithe iths jelleths"

His face scrunched up in confusion and he silently mouthed what she had said. She could see the light bulb click on as he translated what she had tried to say. "Oh, I'm sure that will go away! I'm so glad you're back!" Her heart warmed, and she tried to smile sweetly at him, betrayed at a tendril of drool. _Argh!!!! Why did he have to be the one in my room when I'm like this! _He dabbed the dribble up with a cloth and sat grinning.

"Narustho? Why areth you in here?" _At least speaking is getting easier. _

"Well, I would be training, but Sakura-chan won't let me leave because of my arm." Her eyes slowly trailed over to the tightly wrapped limb. _What happened to his arm? He didn't get hurt in the cave did he? _

He saw the questioning glint in her eyes and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I'm ok. My technique just isn't ready yet. Tsunade-bachan and Sakura-chan don't want me ever using it again though, humph." He pouted as if he was denied his favorite toy. _That idiot has a technique that hurts himself to the point they won't let him use it and is upset about it? _She saw as he sighed wearily, looking troubled and serious like he had in his mindscape.

"Whaths wrong?" She inquired, rolling on her side.

"Ino-chan… Asuma-sensei… didn't make it back on the mission. And Ero-sennin isn't sure what went wrong with your seal, but your chakra is _different_."

_Asuma-sensei dead? _She lay back thinking, her insides growing cold. At the news of her sensei's demise, she felt like she was about to cry. _My chakra is different?_ She furrowed her brow, her already strained voice cracking. "Ditherent h-how?"

He shook his head, and set his hand on her shoulder. "I don't really understand myself, he said that the Nibi is gone or something but your chakra isn't human." She pondered slowly, not having enough information to conclude anything from the vague description.

"Listen, I'm sorry Ino-chan, but I gotta go tell Tsunade-bachan and Sakura-chan you're awake. They'll come check up on you in a bit!" _No, don't leave Naruto!_

She tried to speak up to him but as she opened her mouth he leant down kissing her forehead and walked to the door. The words died on her tongue as she blushed, staring agape at his retreating figure. She straightened out. _I'm in my own body… but now what?_ Ever since he had discovered her presence in his mind, he had not been affectionate like in that first dream, in favor of being a concerned and caring friend._ Does Naruto…?_ Staring at the ceiling, the many thoughts raced through her mind from what Naruto had said and possible implications of the quick peck.

* * *

AN: I need to organize my thoughts on this plot, so probably won't be an update tomorrow. As for the whole Asuma thing; I know it's slightly different from the manga, but for intents and purposes again just adapt and fill in any unexplained blanks. It isn't a main focus point of this story, and any conversations or important actions of Asuma to characters other than Ino are assumed to have happened offscreen.

Also, I am pleased to announce my first chapter of "All I Have Left" is released. It's a NaruSaku fic, in a world where Konoha _lost_ the battle at the chunin exams. If you have time or interest, please read it and let me know what you think! I may focus on it more in the coming week(s) while I consider what will happen in this one. Enjoy.


	20. Chapter 20

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

The day passed quietly. After Tsunade had personally came to check up on Ino, she laid back and listened to the rhythmic drumming of the rain. Movement became gradually easier for the pale blonde haired girl. However, she remained bored without much to do aside from brief naps. Ino lounged for several hours in the quiet room, between her cat naps. A few times she had tried gathering chakra, just as an experiment, but found it near impossible. She could _feel_ it, but it felt like trying to hold water with her bare hands. She never even had this much trouble back in her student days when she first learned how to mold the energy.

Eventually, Shikamaru and Chouji had come to visit her for a while. She was quite relieved when she could speak normally without drooling all over herself; her awkward conversation with Naruto had been a mixed blessing she decided. Her teammates began by seeing how she was, and with happiness of her recovery and body. But their conversation soon turned dark and depressing, as they regaled her with the tale of their fight with Hidan and Asuma's sacrifice.

She was relieved when Tsunade allowed her to return to her apartment that night. Arriving at her apartment, she went to her room. _Humph, Naruto just has the poorest taste. _She grumbled when her eyes passed over her beloved lacy bed. A thought occurred; Naruto had been staying in her room until this mission – would Tsunade have him move back to his own place? Did she and Sakura even want that? She bit her lip in thought. _Akatsuki will definitely come after Naruto, more than ever now. And now they may come after me… I'll have to see what Forehead thinks. Worse, I'm no longer an active kunoichi, until Tsunade deems I'm ready if ever._

Ino pranced about her room, truly enjoying having her body back. _A nice hot shower sounds good! _She smiled and entered the bathroom, failing to latch the door. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, and shook her hair free of its long pony tail. _Perhaps I should try pig tails Naruto devised. _She mentally pictured the image, and nodded slowly. _That'd be cute, I wonder what he'd think of that. _She stripped off her garments and hopped into the shower. After being so long in a cool, dank darkness the well lit bathroom with the warm water cascading down her skin felt positively delightful.

Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her bosom. She then began to draw her hair up in the twin upright pigtails in the style of Naruto's female form. Her long platinum hair cascaded down flanking her shoulders, and the longer bangs obscuring half of her face. She smiled, admiring the look. The unlatched door swung open, and she squeaked dropping the towel, turning to see Naruto. He went wide eyed at the sight of her, and stammered, stumbling out the door. "S-s-sorry Ino, I didn't know you were here."

She felt as if the room temperature rose at her heated blush, and grabbed the towel pulling it around her. She huffed out a deep breath. _That knucklehead, I may as well toy with him again. _She then gave a predatory smile – and like a wildcat stalked up to her blundering fellow blond. Waggling her finger in his face, she poked him in the chest. "Why Naruto, if you wanted a peek you only had to ask." She licked her lips and winked at him.

He turned red, gasping, and fled down the hall. Pouting, she watched his retreating form. _Maybe I laid it on too thick._

* * *

The following morning, a public service for Asuma was held. Ino spent much of the morning with her former genin team members. They spoke mostly of happier times, and memories of their favored sensei. All of the Konoha eleven and their accompanying Jounin senseis were present at the service – and many others. Asuma had become the first fatality that any had of those teams had known.

Naruto had not stayed at her apartment that night, which was already arranged. However, he remained silent at the ceremony and when she went to talk to him, he was no where to be found. Ino found herself worrying whether she came on too strong – not knowing the purpose of what she perceived as his aversion of her. It was near midday, when and Sakura left the gathering to talk and find some lunch.

"Hey forehead… have you talked to Naruto today?" She slumped her shoulders as they walked toward a small café.

Sakura looked toward her and huffed. "Sorry Ino-pig, I haven't. He kind of vanished earlier. I wonder why he didn't stick around?"

Taking their seats Ino pondered to what to say. "What… happens now? I can't help but feel that _he_ hasn't been resolved."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Knowing him, he's probably too dim to do anything about this sort of thing himself either. Did something happen last night?"

Ino blushed at the memory as she began to tell her friend. "He walked in on me after I got out of the shower. I was doing my hair up in his sexy-jutsu style. He just stared at me, and I kind of flirted with him – but he ran away." She frowned.

Sakura let out a brief shrill laugh. "You probably scared him half to death. If there's one thing I learned from Naruto lately, it's that he's a lot shyer than he lets on."

Ino nodded thoughtfully, she had seen first hand his innocence when it came to women in his mind. "So what do we do then?"

Sakura grinned mischievously, "Well, this is Naruto we're talking about. And, how does he deal with everything?"

It was an easy question. "Charges in headstrong without second thought, all loudmouthed like?"

Sakura nodded. "Right, so what we do is…"

* * *

The following day was quiet for Naruto. He had gotten quite the eyeful of Ino the other night when he went to retrieve his toothbrush among other toiletries that were still stashed in the girls' apartment. He didn't think she was home from the hospital and she just had to _drop_ the towel allowing him to see her in all her glory. Her graceful curves, her hair done up in a similar style he used to beat so many perverts in the past. He liked her normal hairstyle better, but it was definitely a different flavor that gave her a more 'cutesy' look. The fox boy wasn't sure how to react, and when she approached him like a hungry cat he panicked and bolted like a frightened animal. _Smooth Naruto, smooth._

He had his pride, and he had long ago vowed never to run from a challenge yet now he was so embarrassed he didn't know what to think or say to the attractive blonde who had until recently been living in his head. And what had he done when she confronted him last night? Fled with his tail between his legs. Worse, how did this work out with _his _Sakura. He vaguely remembered her telling him that she wouldn't be jealous, but what in the hell did that mean to him? That he should be looking and thinking about Ino?

Being honest with himself, he _liked_ Ino a lot now. Her conversation and humor were great, she was _very_ attractive and playful – but he considered himself already with Sakura who he knew in his heart he'd always be happy with. Sighing, he continued to fail finding an answer to his rapid thoughts and thus ducked away from the girls at the conclusion of the ceremony.

His stomach growled in protest of his lack of breakfast and he decided to settle his frazzled nerves with a hot serving of Ichiraku ramen-y goodness. Reaching the stand he happily greeted the friendly Teuchi, and ordered a large serving for his lunch. Totally absorbed with consuming his favored meal, the Kyuubi vessel was unaware of the great peril approaching him.

A soft hand pressed each of his shoulders down. He glanced nervously to each side. _Oh shit._ Ino sat on the stool to his left, and Sakura on the right. _I'm trapped!_

In sultry voices, both Ino and Sakura whispered in each of his ear, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Just relax, Naruto."

Then just Sakura spoke. "We figured you'd probably just avoid the situation entirely, and not get a clue so we figured this would be the best way." Both girls leant forward and kissed him on each of his cheeks.

All conscious screeched to a halt in his mind as he stared forward blankly in a vain attempt to process what happened.

Ino waved her hand in front of his face. "Oi Sakura, I think we broke him."

"Pff, he'll recover, he always does." She giggled and poked at him smiling.

_Is this really happening? _He started to ponder the details, and mentally shot that idea down. _Since when do I care about thinking things out? _Naruto couldn't for the life of him stop the wide grin that began to split his face and he wrapped each one of his arms around one of the kunoichis. Teuchi raised an eyebrow staring at the odd sight, shaking his head in awe.

And unlike the first time they tied, both Ino and Sakura were glad that they came out as equals here, while flanking the befuddled Naruto.

* * *

A/N: Yea, it was cheesy. I apologize in advance at this rushed chapter, that I just couldn't think of what to put in to live up to the standard I've set myself. So yea, apologies for those who are disappointed with this one. I'm pretty much out of ideas for this fic for now. I am _not_ abandoning it – I will be updating it as I have said in the past, but I will now be putting most of my focus on _All I Have Left - _which I have many ideas. I figured this is a good place to pause this one for a while until I have substantial content to add.

So for those who enjoyed this story – many thanks for your reading and many reviews. I don't think I'd of written so much without your audience. Anyone is welcome to give detailed suggestions from this point onward too, which I will gladly consider and incorporate with my own ideas. If someone gives me adequate inspiration, my addictive personality may take hold on this story sooner rather than later (hint hint):P


	21. Chapter 21

Insert obligatory disclaimer about not owning Naruto etc here

* * *

She could not help but smile at the genuine grin splitting Naruto's dazed face; his brilliant sapphire eyes gazed distantly ahead focused on nothing – his bowl of half finished ramen forgotten. Sakura looked passed the stunned fox boy to the restored Ino beside him. Her friend's usual smug looking grin was replaced by a graceful and joyful smile. A smile she didn't think she'd seen Ino wear since their childhood. _"Flowers shouldn't fight to be number one."_ That was one of the many encouraging things Ino had told her that day; and the one that both of them took the longest to realize. 

Deciding to progress with the conversation, Sakura prodded him in the shoulder. "Naruto, if you're done staring off into space now – Ino and I were talking and decided it'd be best if you moved into our apartment. Permanently." Ino nodded her agreement as Naruto glanced toward both of them nervously.

"B-but… Sa-Sakura-chan, Ino-chan is –" Naruto stuttered, staring wide eyed toward her.

Sakura slapped the counter shutting him up and getting his attention. Adopting an aggressive tone, she scolded the nervous blond. "Uzumaki Naruto! Did I say this was up for discussion?" Teuchi stared at the trio, amazed that Naruto of all people was being bossed around by _two_ kunoichi. "Don't worry about where you'll sleep, we'll figure _something_ out. Now come, Tsunade-shishou has requested our presence this morning."

Teuchi again watched in horror as the two vixens literally dragged his best customer off his stool toward the Hokage tower. He whimpered and called after them "At least let him finish his lunch!" The older man's shoulder slumped as he had the sinking feeling that Naruto would be eating there less in the future.

* * *

There was just something oddly gratifying and _fun_ about hauling Naruto around. Of course he wasn't really putting up much of a fight, having more or less submitted to the combined will of Sakura and Ino. Reaching the office, the three entered to see Tsunade surprisingly focused on a docket of mission briefings. Looking at them, she raised her eyebrow to the grinning kunoichi flanking a silent, blank faced Naruto. "What's wrong with the brat?" She crooked her finger to her surrogate brother. 

Ino laughed perkily, and answered, "Oh, he's just mulling over his decision to live with us."

Tsunade nodded then smiled. "Alright, I suppose it'd do him some good to have you two refine him some. Now I called you here to give you three the mission to get Ino back in action. Sakura and Naruto, you two are to assist in training her with her new chakra. Since I've never heard of any human with pure demonic chakra, I want Sakura to just be on standby to monitor Ino's progress. Naruto of course has more experience than anyone and perhaps can provide some support." She leaned forward resting her chin on her hands. "Now, if you three have nothing else to do this afternoon, I suggest you get started. From what I've gathered, Ino will need to relearn everything from the basics." Ino frowned and nodded slowly. "You are all dismissed, keep me updated!"

The back-to-normal-Naruto grinned and gave the Hokage a thumbs up. "You got it Tsunade-bachan!" And promptly ducked under the thrown bottle, as the trio exited the office.

* * *

Ino inwardly sighed at the thought of relearning chakra control from the beginning as they reached the training ground normally reserved for team seven. She huffed, and turned toward her companions. "I guess I need to try molding first before moving to the more basic techniques." 

Sakura nodded, "That sounds like the best plan."

Forming the appropriate hand seals, the platinum blonde attempted to gather her chakra. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as Ino concentrated intently, feeling the energy envelop her being. Previously, her chakra had always left her with a cool tingling sensation, not entirely unpleasant. When her chakra became exhausted, her muscles began to ache and the cool feeling would transform into a burning sensation throughout her body.

This new chakra, however felt as if a small fire was ignited in her belly, and slowly spread the warmth throughout her extremities. Ino soon attempted to influence the control of the warmth, directing more to her hands and feet. It proved much more difficult – flowing into her limbs like waves of the ocean in uncertain and random pulses. _This is frustrating!_ At first the chakra she managed to direct to her hands would be smaller than her intended amount; then too much.

She growled, and took a deep breath, relaxing and letting the energy filter back to her being. "Naruto, did your chakra always feel like you were either getting too little or too much?"

Naruto's face scrunched in thought, and then he shook his head. "Did? Still does. It's definitely easier now, and most techniques are a breeze. Ero-sennin always said I should just focus on techniques that used few hand signs and a large amount of power to take advantage of my stamina."

She sighed and pouted. _Maybe it won't be quite like that, since I don't have __two__ chakras._ The prospect of tree climbing and water walking for hours again was not the least bit exciting.

Eventually after a few hours of the monotonous basics, Ino felt it'd be best to practice the basic academy student techniques. "Alright, I'm going to try making a few bunshin now." Sakura nodded and Naruto frowned at the sound of that accursed jutsu.

Taking a deep breath, she formed the seals and prepared the appropriate chakra that would have made her three images in the past. Sakura face faulted and Naruto's eyebrow twitched, and burst into a fit of giggles. She glanced next to her and growled. "You're not helping Naruto!!" On the ground lay an unnaturally pale and sickly Ino clone.

At the sound of her yell, Naruto swallowed and looked down. "Um, sorry Ino – that's what my bunshin _still_ look like. They just look funny when they aren't mine. But, perhaps this means you can use the kage bunshin! It always worked great for me! You know the seals right?"

Nodding she smiled. _Kage bunshin would definitely be useful, it'll be so cool to use many clones like Naruto. And I can get this chakra control down so much faster with the clone training! _Feeling confident, she performed the seals and pumped up her chakra uncertain how many would be formed. With a poof of smoke two Ino's appeared surrounding her, and she closed her eyes, jumped and cheered.

"Um, Ino, I'm not sure it's working right!" Sakura's frantic voice broke her celebration.

"Huh? Why?" She looked toward her doppelgangers.

"That one is glowing! That one is flickering!" Ino furrowed her brow and looked closer at her clones. _What the? _"Ino, get away, it's going to explode I think!" She shrieked, and jumped away. One of the clones began to distort and poofed into harmless smoke, while the other began to glow brightly. A loud explosion resounded across the training field, and a concussive force of air sent the three teenagers sprawling backwards.

'W-what happened? Did I do the jutsu wrong?" Ino bit her lip and looked at the crater of where the cloned Ino went out with a bang.

Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other. Naruto nodded and Sakura spoke up. "It looked like you did everything right, but perhaps it's the new chakra? I don't know - it just seems unstable. Perhaps we should test more? How about a henge?"

Ino nodded slowly. _I'll henge into Naruto. _She swallowed remembering watching her clone's demise. _Please don't explode, please don't explode! _She performed the technique and transformed into a copy of Naruto. "How is this?" She looked down at herself for irregularities.

"You're… _glowing_!" A moment later, the technique seemed to shimmer about her body some returning to her girlish figure others remaining Naruto. Finally a twisted combination of the two remained – Ino's legs with Naruto's torso, one arm of each. Both of the others gasped at the monstrosity. She paled, feeling the chakra starting to burn, and quickly dispelled the technique.

Panting, Ino fell to her knees. _This shouldn't be that exhausting. _"Ino-chan, are you ok?!" Naruto appeared next to her, pulling her straight. She nodded as she caught her breath.

Sakura began to check Ino's condition as she explained. "Well, I can't be sure, but I think techniques that use a constant expenditure of chakra even if small are unstable. Maybe when she has more control she can use some, who knows?" _That kinda makes sense. _

Naruto just scratched his head at the explanation, "So Ino-chan should avoid using stuff like transformation and clones. What about kawarimi?"

Ino nodded, and tried the seals and was relieved to find she had succeeded in transposing herself with a log. She fell to her knees; her insides felt like they were boiling. She coughed and a wave of nausea came over her. "I think I'm going to sick up…" Ino knelt still, taking deep breaths until the feeling passed. "Well, that worked. I just need to get used to the chakra and practice control."

"Right, don't practice techniques until you are more comfortable with control. We can start tree climbing tomorrow maybe. Let's go get some dinner!"

Naruto's ears twitched at the words. "Um, can we go to Ichiraku? I didn't get to finish my lunch." He finished with a pout of his own.

The girls looked to each other and shrugged. "Fine, ramen it is…"

* * *

Reaching the stand, the three ordered a substantial dinner, much to the delight of the old man. Naruto wasted no time in diving into his ramen, just in case they decided to drag him off somewhere. This of course earned him a scoff and twin lumps on his head from his dinner partners. "Manners Naruto!" 

And so he was more or less forced to _chew_. _What am I supposed to do? I've never had a girlfriend, let alone two! _He quietly kept his comments to himself, and spared fleeting glances to the girls. They had finished their considerably smaller portions before he was satisfied, and he appreciated that they seemed to plan to let him finish gorging himself.

That was until he caught Ino's mischievous grin from his peripheral vision. His foxy sense started to tingle when she stood up and sauntered to Sakura's other side, and started whispering in his pink-haired love's hair. Then he _knew_ something big would happen when Sakura's face flushed to match the color of her rosy locks. Worse, she glanced toward Ino (whom Naruto could not see from his seat), then her head inclined in a nodding motion. Sakura then stared straight ahead, her blush only reddening. He gulped. _Why is Sakura-chan acting so embarrassed?_ _What are they planning?_

He finished his last bowl, and paid for their meal as Ino appeared next to him. Then her voice was in a sultry tone similar to what he had always associated with the many floozies Ero-sennin had accompanied throughout their travels. She cooed in his ear, her warm breath leaving tickling sensation. "Hey Naruto, why don't we call it an early night and head for the apartment…?"

* * *

AN: Alright, I _may_ have a special treat next chapter (since many people have been suggested or asked about it, and story-wise, it would fit without disrupting the flow). I don't think I need to spell out what _it _is either. That said, if I do decide to go through with this – I want to do it correctly and hold it to a higher standard than my normal writing. So it quite possibly won't be posted for at least a week as I work on it. If you have another. If you do have any reservations against this, now would be the time to let them be known. Also, it's possible it may be posted in a standalone story on the site (but chronologically come at this point of the story) for rating or filter purposes. 

That said, as far as Mind of Others goes – while I have already figured out just how the team dynamics of the trio work (mainly just how Ino will develop and complement the other two) – I still have not managed to conceive long term plot goals and ideas yet. I will continue to contemplate and eventually something is bound to ignite my muse.

Once said muse is ignited – I will most likely jump back into frequent updates. Meanwhile, I have many ideas (and plenty of plot to work with) for _All I Have Left_ and will be continuing to have nearly daily updates for that – the next of which will be tomorrow for those wondering.

Thanks for your continued reading and comments!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything native to the Naruto world.

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WARNING: This chapter contains graphic mature adult themes. Do not read if you are not of age, or interest. You have been warned. If you are not interested in the _physical_ relationship of Naruto, Sakura, and Ino – skip this chapter and wait a few days until chapter 23. 

/END WARNING

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… 

…

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All coherent thought screeched to a halt at the soft tickle of her warm breath against his ear. Her words echoed in his mind. His mouth hung open, and his eyes stared blankly forward. Naruto was always pretty dense, but he was the prodigy of Jiraiya, and he'd have to have been struck blind, deaf, and dumb not to pick up on the implications of a certain Yamanaka Ino.

He became vaguely aware of a soft, warm hand encasing one of his own hands. The part of his mind that was still receiving a steady supply of blood said that the hand belonged to Sakura. A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders as Ino nuzzled into his neck. He swallowed involuntarily, his mouth becoming completely dry. She purred into his ear. "Mm did you hear me Naruto? Scoot, we're going now."

Her slender arms tugged him up from his stool and he shook his head in an attempt to gain clarity of thought at this turn of events. His eyes darted over Ino, who had hooked her arm around his neck and began to pull at him, beginning to pull him in the direction of the abode they were now _sharing_. She swayed her hips gracefully, brushing against him with every step, as his legs moved mechanically. He licked his lips, and his eyes scanned to his other side where Sakura's warm hand squeezed his own tightly. Naruto was very relieved to see he was not the only one having trouble with Ino's _suggestion – _if going by the flushed look on the rosette was any indication.

He took a deep breath, his shoulders tense in anticipation. _Is this really happening?_ Only in his wildest dreams had he ever conceived of being flanked between a commanding Ino and a blushing Sakura. He was thankful for the short walk, granting him some time to gather his thoughts in mental preparation. Memories of the eyeful he received of Ino those nights before was on the forefront of his mind before being replaced by images of each of the girls in various poses. He licked his lips letting the girls guide his feet his mind wandering through his fantasies. "N-Naruto, what are you thinking about?" Sakura poked at him, getting his attention.

He swallowed – how could he reply to _that_? He didn't think he'd be able to put it in words with a straight face – let alone trust his voice. _And would she hit me? _His jaw opened and closed slowly, his mind searching for _anything_ to get him off the hook. "You don't need to answer that." He let out a relieved mental sigh. _Saved by Ino_. He felt relieved until the platinum blonde reached past him, and whispered something into Sakura's ear – causing the Haruno to blush redder and nod.

That was about the time he nearly walked face first into the door. _We're here already?_ He blinked, and backed up. Ino smirked at him, and twisted the door open dragging him in, Sakura close behind. _Relax… its Ino and Sakura, maybe they're teasing._

He stepped into the foyer, kicking off his sandals. "You're being awfully quiet Naruto. What's wrong? Feeling a bit overwhelmed?" Ino's voice took on a mocking tone, and he spun around and eyes widened. Ino had Sakura pressed against the door. Sakura's eyes were closed, and Ino slid her sleek body against her, trapping Sakura with her arms on each side of the door around her. Naruto gaped as they began to kiss. At first Sakura stiffened against the door, but soon enough she thrust out her arms, wrapping them tightly around Ino pulling her closer, while she enthusiastically returned the kiss. Their lips parted and twisted, and he could occasionally make out a tongue sliding between the girls. He heard Ino give a low purr, and watched as she raised her right knee between Sakura's legs, invoking a soft whimper in response.

The sight of his two favorite kunoichi lip locked and kissing _hotly_ would forever be at the front of his memory of 'coolest things he had ever seen'. His breathing became heavier, and grew aware of his own arousal tenting his black pants. His eyes trailed down their bodies, watching as Ino's deft fingers slid into the hem of Sakura's spandex shorts. The blonde backed away from Sakura, and her fingers tightened before yanking the shorts down to Sakura's ankles. Sakura shyly turned her head away, while Naruto's eyes followed the graceful curves of her bare, luscious legs.

Ino fell to her knees, and unfastened Sakura's skirt. She looked him in the eye with a predatory gleam in her own cornflower blue pupil-less eyes. Ino began to trace her hands from Sakura's knees, gliding them sensually up the creamy thighs causing the rosette to squeak. "Hey Naruto… You're being awfully quiet. You aren't going to run away on me again are you?" The blonde taunted, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. Naruto tensed at the eye contact – not one to back down from a challenge. Ino's trailed her intense gaze down his body her smirk widening, eyeing his arousal. She stood up, swishing her hair back. "Or are you just all talk?"

That pushed him over the edge, and he surged ahead pinning her against the door. "Ino-chan, Shut up." And unceremoniously mashed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss which she coolly returned with hooded eyes. She parted her lips, her tongue seeking entry – which he complied, snaking his own against it. His mind had finally decided the biggest difference between the two girls. Both had a playful sense of humor and seemed to enjoy toying with him – but where Sakura drew the line and had some level of shyness, Ino had no shame or hesitation. He felt her hands roam his body; from his shoulders, to his muscled chest, and when they began unzipping his jacket.

Not one to be idle, his hands attacked Ino's curves moving up her thigh and cupping her rear causing her to nip at his lip. She pushed him away from the kiss and began to peel off his jacket and his eyes traced toward Sakura next to him. She was breathing heavily, watching them intently. Naruto didn't want to leave his cherry blossom out, and hooked his arm around her attacking at her lips in a heated kiss, while Ino continued to peel his clothes off like a ripened fruit.

His mind spun caught up in the moment, and before he knew it he was standing in Ino's room wondering if he was dragged, pushed, or walked on his own. Sakura sat on the end of the lacy bed, her bare legs dangling over the side, her knees closed tightly, while Ino sat splayed behind her – Sakura trapped between the blonde's thighs and the slender arms as they started to pull the red shirt over her head. Naruto licked his lips, and glanced down, somehow he was only in his boxers now. He gazed ahead, Sakura – clad only in her pink panties and bra – that matched her hair – her body flushed a lighter shade of pink.

Ino rested her head on Sakura's right shoulder, as her hands slid up and down the pinkette's body. "Mm, Naruto, I think Sakura should get first crack at you. After all you two have been after this a lot longer than I huh?" Naruto swallowed – he had dreamed of Sakura more than anyone for as long as he could remember. He nodded in reply and kicked off his boxers. Both girls eyed his manhood – Ino giving an approving nod causing his cheeks to tinge in a blush of his own. She whispered something in Sakura's ear, and she nodded slowly, opening her legs slightly. Ino scoffed, and pulled the rosette's panties down and forced Sakura's legs wide open and held them that way on display with her hands.

Naruto had been fairly acquainted to the naked female body – both as part of his own technique and he was hard pressed to avoid it traveling with a legendary pervert. But now, he stared at Sakura's glistening sex – quite aware of his own twitching member. "Psst, Naruto, you're making her shy! Get over here!" He looked back to their faces – seeing Ino's haughty and impatient disposition while Sakura's eyes lowered, refusing to make eye contact in embarrassment.

He stepped forward, his hands shooting forward trailing her creamy thighs. "Sakura-chan… you're beautiful." He clumsily roamed up to her mound, and with trembling fingers traced over the nether lips. He found the bud of flesh in his fingers exploration… and experimentally pinched at it while probing his fingers in. Sakura fidgeted and her breath hitched, her body pushing backward against Ino. She turned away when he kissed at the side of her neck, trailing his lips down toward her collarbone with the occasional playful nip. His tongue danced across her searing flesh sliding down the center of her chest. Ino anticipated his intentions and the pink bra fell away as he reached the top of the cups. His eyes took in the sight of her perky breasts, and his mouth went back to work kissing up Sakura's right breast. He caught the pink, erect nub of her nipple in his lips, and gave it a hard lick and experimental nip – resulting in her body jerking against him with a low moan. Pleased with the reaction, the jinchuuriki kissed across her chest to perform the same treatment on her left. All the while his fingers continued their clumsy exploration pushing into her damp folds. A pair of arms reached to his shoulders pushing him up slightly, and he looked questioningly into her eyes. There was no mistaking the desire in those pools of forest green, and he licked his lips. "Sa-Sakura-chan, are you sure?"

A shy smile formed on her lips and she nodded slowly. "P-please Naruto…" Nodding, he leaned closer on the bed, leaning down inches above her. He hesitated when his sapphire eyes met her emerald, and nearly yelped when he felt a soft hand grip his member and guide him closer. His eyes darted to the shameless blonde, who smirked and tugged his shaft sliding the tip along Sakura's dripping slit. To his knowledge, this was the first time for everyone involved, and he thought back to what Ero-sennin had told his unwilling pupil that if he ever bedded a kunoichi, he could probably expect the absence of that extra resistance even on a first timer – a usual result from their more intense physical training.

Sakura whimpered softly, and clutched onto his shoulders, he swallowed and pushed himself forward, leaning toward the bed. He felt the warm folds of flesh slowly envelop his length, letting out a soft groan while pushing further. Sakura's breath hitched and her nails grated wildly against his bare back, her eyes pleading him. _Move. _He nodded and slid the rest of the way in letting out a satisfied sigh of contentment buried inside of _his _Sakura-chan. His rod fit snugly within her velvety folds, like two pieces of a puzzle.

He paused a moment, rolling his hips back and forth slowly, she fidgeted beneath him her breaths coming in short ragged gasps. "N-Naruto, move." He heard the command in her voice, despite its unsteadiness and rocked his hips forward – and began pushing in a rhythm. Naruto's efforts were rewarded with brief gasps and whimpers, and the occasional low moan. Gaining confidence, he leaned forward further, putting his arms to the side of the pinned Sakura, rolling his hips into hers.

She arched backward and writhed underneath him against Ino as Naruto increased speed. Her legs clamped around his waist and her hips ground upward meeting his thrusts. Naruto sucked in quick breaths between a soft groan when Sakura began to respond with her own movements as the two continued to collide. Naruto began with longer languid strokes, occasionally bucking his hips in a sharp motion each ensuing a louder cry from Sakura. He glanced from the strained look of ecstasy on her face as their pace began to grow more erratic, to the look of desire and fascination on Ino's as she watched the repeated meeting of their lower bodies.

Soon, Sakura's entire body quaked beneath him, and she cried out his name in broken breaths, her legs tightening around his waist. Her inner muscles contracted around his shaft and he began thrusting in short penetrating strokes. Sakura's eyes clenched shut tightly, her nails dug into his back, and she grit her teeth in a soundless scream. Her release rippled through her body. He increased his own pace, fueled by his own need and the trembling rose haired kunoichi beneath him, as she thrashed wildly crying his name riding out her climax. With a low groan, he fell forward emptying his seed into her folds, gasping her name in a broken breath.

The last trembles quaked through Sakura as she took a deep haggard breath before smiling at him. Naruto rolled off, and she gave a slight groan of protest at the separation but remained still. He lay back on the bed; taking deep breaths while his mind proceeded to burn into memory what just happened. Then he realized he was overlooking something important. _Ino. _He looked up to see said blonde eyeing him like a piece of meat, Sakura still laying flushed next to him. He didn't know when, but somewhere between his kissing her at the door and his release into Sakura she had stripped her purple garb off, and now crawled toward him. His eyes trailed down her pretty face to her perky breasts and the graceful curves of her hips and rear. "I-Ino-chan, I need a moment…"

She merely smirked at him, and crawled down, her hand gripping his very sensitive, still slick member. Her soft hand began to stroke, and she moved her head over it. His eyes widened as her tongue probed outward making light licks in a teasing manner. She then wrapped her warm lips around the tip and he felt her tongue swirl around the tip. He laid his head back closing his eyes, letting a soft groan escape. A short minute of her eager ministrations and his shaft was standing to attention once again. She bobbed her head on his rod slowly, and then tightened her lips into a vacuum as she dragged them backward. With an audible popping noise, she released the swollen head, and made eye contact. She licked her lips and with her voice thick and sultry stated, "I knew you wouldn't disappoint." Before he knew what was happening, she had thrown one of her legs over his waist, straddling him. He should have known that Ino being her bossy self would have opted to be in the position of control.

With a smug smile she lowered herself on the shaft, letting out a satisfied gasp. When he was fully sheathed in the blonde, she started to roll her hips grinding against him. Ino began to rock faster, and soon enough began to bounce on his shaft. Naruto groaned in enjoyment of the delicious friction and decided not to let Ino have all the fun, and rolled his hips upward to meet her downward motions. His hands gripped tightly on the sides of her hips, and began to aid her movement pulling her downward each time he raised his hips.

Where Sakura had made soft whimpers and moans, Ino grunted, groaned, and screamed calling his name and cooing gurgled encouragements. Ino twisted her hips, rotating and gyrating against him in a confident manner; each collision of the unison of their bodies issuing a creak from the bed.

At some point, Sakura had felt left out and hovered by Naruto planting her lips on his, her tongue lapping at his lips which he greedily sucked in. He suckled on the tip of her tongue while letting the occasional soft groan escape at the feeling of Ino sliding up and down his shaft in reckless abandon. The blonde's grunts and screams started to grow louder and the pace she set grew frantic. When Sakura pulled away with a mischievous grin, he knew she was planning something so he directed his attention to the kunoichi repeatedly impaling herself on his rod. He focused on watching Ino's face, her hair flapping wildly in the air. His shaft began to throb between her slick velvety walls, notifying him of his impending climax. Naruto groaned, summoning his willpower to outlast the blonde. Her eyes closed tight while her mouth was wide open, lolling about between her lusty moans.

He couldn't see what Sakura was doing, but from her position of leaning over his middle facing Ino -- he was not the target. Suddenly Ino's breath hitched, and she arched backwards in a shrill scream, her fingers gripping his shoulders curling tightly the nails grasping and breaking the skin. The pain he easily ignored in favor of the intense pleasure of watching her entire body flushed, while she continued in rising and falling against him in a desperate motion. Her sex clenched around him, setting him off. He groaned shooting his hips upward while erupting his load into the spasming Ino in their mutual release and time itself seemed to slow down.

Ino came down from her high with a long satisfied moan, bonelessly collapsing off of him to land on top of Sakura in a heap of tangled legs and arms in the sea of lace. Naruto lay back spent from his own peak trying to catch his breath. One word echoed in his mind - _Wow. _He pushed himself up, looking at the pile of his _lovers _with a genuine smile.

He was about to say something, perhaps ask what happens next, when the two girls' quiet contentment ended abruptly.

"Ino-pig, get off me! It's my turn!" Sakura growled, rolling Ino over.

The blonde squeaked, and grabbed at a pillow. "No way forehead! I'm not done with him yet!" And swung the pillow at Sakura knocking her down. The Haruno let out an indignant squawk while grabbing for a pillow of her own.

The phrase _how troublesome_ entered his mind at the tussling kunoichi, but the smile never left his face. Some things never changed – and this rivalry seemed lighthearted and cute at best. Naruto steeled himself for what was to come; with the feeling that this night was only just beginning, and the restorative powers of the Kyuubi would be tested further than ever before.

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He stretched the crick of his back from hours of remaining in the uncomfortable position. Sitting in the cool air of a higher branch of a tree, Jiraiya quickly scribbled down the last of his notes. _I knew that boy would lead me to the jackpot one day!_ _He's provided me with enough research material in this one night for an entire volume!_ He peered in the window again at the slumbering trio, cuddled together in a tangled heap where he could not identify where Sakura began and Ino ended. _Now here's hoping none of them read it, or I can't even imagine what they'd do to me! But it was soooooo worth it!_

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A/N: This is not only my first lemon; it's also my first THREESOME lemon. Which I think was much more difficult to write than it could have been. That said and done, if you have any comments or criticisms, let them be known. 

On another note, while writing this, I have developed an outline for several future chapters of Mind of Others and the plot shall advance once again, possibly tomorrow or Friday.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything native to the Naruto world.

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A ray of light shined on his face causing him to blink and turn, grumbling rolling over. Naruto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, feeling the lacy surface beneath him. _Lacy… Ino's bed… _Memories of last night stormed into his mind causing his cheeks to tinge. _It really happened._ Naruto lay back, feeling exhaustedly satisfied. _They must have gotten up already…_ He closed his eyes with a big grin, content to lounge in bed for a while.

On the brink of dozing off he sprang alert to the bubbly sing-songy voice of Ino. "Oh, Naruto… You're not going to stay around in bed all day? Sakura is making some breakfast and the shower is open, so get a move on!" She entered the door smirking at his nudity. He blushed covering himself with his discarded jacket pushing past her into the bathroom. "Cute butt, Naruto." She giggled after him.

He slammed the door grumbling. _Ino is going to take getting used to… _Naruto then started his morning activities with a shower.

He remained quiet throughout the girls banter and giggles through breakfast. Sakura even casually remarked, "So that's all it takes to shut up the noisiest ninja? We may have to put off our plans for tonight Ino, or he may never speak again!"

Naruto sputtered his drink on the table stammering. _BOTH of them are going to take getting used to… At least they're just teasing. _He stared forward while both girls merely gave him sympathetic pats on the back between fangirlish giggles._I really hope they're just teasing…_

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It wasn't until they were in the training field than Ino and Sakura decided to give the poor Uzumaki a break, and he started to return to his hyperactive goofy self. Ino had never felt more satisfied with herself, and teasing Naruto was enough to brighten any morning she decided.

Her giddy attitude couldn't last though. The prospect of continual chakra control for the next few days dampened her bright spirits in a flash as she stared at the tall trees. Muttering curses under her breath, she took a deep breath focusing chakra to her feet for her first attempt. And with less grace than a drunk Lee repelled herself off the tree landing on her noggin.

"Ino-chan are you ok?" Naruto stood near questioning while Sakura pulled up the grumbling blonde.

She rubbed at the back of her head pushing Sakura away. "Fine just, fine… Move. This is something I have to do alone. You two go spar or something."

Naruto frowned and looked to Sakura who shrugged and pointed toward the field. "We're here for you Ino-chan!" She nodded and sighed, and began practicing as the other two walked away to train.

"I wish we could do more for Ino." Sakura mumbled, squaring off in front of Naruto.

He nodded and summoned several clones. "Ino-chan is strong, she'll be fine, we'll just be near when she needs us!" He smiled widely, his clones surrounding the rosette. "Ok Sakura-chan, you ready?" She grinned back and nodded charging toward the nearest of the kage bunshin.

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The following week followed a similar routine (though the mornings became less awkward for a certain Uzumaki). Ino had finally become confident with the basic tree climbing control exercise, and was greatly relieved that relearning it the second time proved quicker than her first those years ago.

Still, the platinum blonde was rather irritated at the whole ordeal, and a week of head lumps and her monotonous task did nothing for her mood. Even Sakura was stepping lightly around her this morning. "Alright, I can walk up and down the freaking trees now! I'm bored silly of that! I want to try fighting. And Sakura, I'll beat your record against beating twenty clones." She hissed rounding on them. "Naruto give me some clones to beat up! NOW!"

He gulped and nodded slowly quickly complying not wanting to get the already unhappy Ino upset with him. _He's getting smarter_ _at least._ She thought smugly peering at the mass of Narutos. "Now don't hold back or you'll regret it later!" He paled at the threat, and sprung into action.

Sakura stepped back and watched the ensuing melee. Ino twisted and dodged the many attempted blows, kicking and punching outward dispelling a number of the bunshin. She focused chakra into her limbs and ducked particularly low under an incoming roundhouse kick, then performed an enhanced leap into the bunshin assailant.

Soon enough she had exhausted the last of the summoned clones, and smirked toward Sakura having bested her time. "Nice Ino-chan! I don't think you always moved that fast… and how did you bend like that?"

She raised an eyebrow and turned to Sakura. "What does he mean?"

"You moved a lot faster… and… how flexible are you now?" Ino shrugged, and tried stretching. A few moments of experimenting had her laughing.

"Finally something good about this damn situation! But I still can't seem to use any of my known ninjutsu, and genjutsu is out of the question…" She finished with a frown; this would vastly change her ninja career, having previously focused on her family techniques without much effort in her taijutsu. "Want a little one on one Sakura?"

Sakura pursed her lips, "You sure Ino?"

"You're not scared are you forehead?"

"Ok you're on Ino-pig!"

The two kunoichi engaged each other in a taijutsu brawl, dashing blocking and striking at each other in a fierce manner causing Naruto to wince. This was something he hated watching, yet neither of the girls seemed to mind too much. At least neither of the duelers were attempting to cause damage, and Naruto slowly realized that between Sakura's dodging and Ino's new dexterity and flexibility all they had really succeeded in doing was tiring each other out. It almost resembled a bizarre dance, as each girl would make a swing to have the other twist lithely away.

"Ok Ino, this isn't working." Sakura said between pants after they agreed to a truce of the long match.

"Fair enough." Ino sighed heavily. "I'm jealous though, at least you have your strength… I seem to be able to move faster, but my hits are the same as ever. And I don't think I'll ever be able to regain the control for medical jutsu." She frowned. _Damnit… how can I keep up with these two?_ She sulked, kicking at the ground.

"Hmph, maybe you should just accept that I'm more useful." Sakura taunted.

Naruto groaned, and tried to mediate, "Uh Sakura-chan… Maybe tha---"

"No, Naruto. We don't need another brooder on our team. I've had enough of those without Ino-pig."

Ino spun on her and growled out, about to scream a curse at her rival when a jet of flame shot forth of her mouth. Eyes widening, the three backed up from the burned area. The shocked blonde began to cough, hacking at her singed throat. Sakura pushed herself up and checked her health. "Ino, you almost torched me! You didn't even use hand signs…" _She's right… I didn't!_

"That was awesome Ino-chan… just let's not aim it at us!" Ino grinned and nodded. _I'll have to figure this out!_

"Perhaps this means you can still use destructive ninjutsu with that chakra Ino! Naruto and I don't have much talent in long ranged techniques." Sakura beamed, and Ino nodded and began to ponder of the various options still open for her.

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Another week had passed of intense practice for the trio. After discovering Ino's new fire breath ability, they focused on combining their talents in smashing and frying more expendable Naruto clones. After much testing, much to Naruto's chagrin, Ino could reliably spout a jet of flame up to twenty yards. While it lacked the radius and explosive power of most fire jutsus, it remained versatile with no required seals and provided a quick burst precision ranged attack. Sakura suggested that Ino's new demonic chakra probably had a fire affinity and she could eventually learn other katon techniques.

However, they hadn't the time to develop any further when their "team" was called by the Hokage. It had been a while since the three had any missions, and didn't know quite what to expect from the meeting.

Exploding into the office with a shout, Naruto promptly earned a conk by Sakura while Ino rolled her eyes. "Tsunade-bachan! The new formation NaruSakuIno is ready for action!"

The Hokage's eye twitched and she sat in the chair. "Yes… that's um, great Naruto. Now be quiet, I have some news for you all." The three glanced at each other. "Well first… how are you doing Ino, ready for a mission? And are you two taking good care of Naruto?" She gave them a knowing look causing the teenagers to stammer.

"Uh, I'm doing fine Tsunade-sama." She paused a second nudging the ramen loving blond. "And so is Naruto."

"I bet… now to the important information. I'm afraid Akatsuki's plans have entered their later stages, perhaps as a result from your last mission. The clientele for missions has started to diminish across the board for all the hidden villages, and if this continues much longer we will be in an economic crisis. We have no confirmation on Akatsuki's involvement, but that feels more than likely seeing the current events."

She paused a moment before going on. "It gets worse I'm afraid. In anticipation of this impending crisis, Konoha has begun taking all the missions it can. Unfortunately that leaves us understaffed, should any threat come. Nearly all of our jounins are sent out on solo missions. I'm afraid it's worse than when we were rebuilding the village." She sighed wearily gesturing to the mountains of paperwork.

"And that's not the end of it…" She groaned. "I've sent some emissaries to the other villages, including the Rock and Cloud to discuss international security involving Akatsuki's plan. I thought that just being aware of the problem would help us combat the threat as it came, but unfortunately… this idea has backfired and many of the other villages have only been spurned to compete. Relations are dissolving even further between all other villages save the Sand."

"Unfortunately, we have to cancel the chunin exams this year as a result. Now to what I need from you three. We have been in good relations to the Waterfall for quite some time. This is a mission to both give a warning and give them some support, as I've received word of some form of threat roaming the area. This is an A-class mission, and I have no other options of teams to send."

Sakura and Ino nodded slowly while Naruto cheered. "What are we waiting for, a dangerous mission!"

Tsunade stood, and handed Sakura a docket with written details. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, you are to report to the Waterfall Village, warn them of the current issues, find the threat in the area, and give them support in any possible way. And you three… Be careful please."

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A/N: This fic will start to evolve into a lot more action in the coming chapters, and there should be plenty of fluff etc on the side.

This chapter was a necessary transition, and a pain in the arse to write. I found it 'troublesome' to establish Ino's development. Sakura/Naruto had kinda background roles for this chapter (but that's temporary and will go in phases, this chapter was especially Ino-centric)

Ok, before I get criticized, I swear I'm not basing her off Sasuke or any other character. I had not planned most of this from the start – keep that in mind. Since I went with the Nibi, who was reported to having some firebreath abilities, and seeing how team dynamics would need to be balanced… I think Ino with these assets would complement Naruto and Sakura. Notes: Ino is not super strong – ie, Naruto can punch/kick harder in combat situations. She is the fastest of the three, but no where near the level of Lee or similar characters. A quick breakdown is below on my train of thought (and no, I'm not basing everything off this basic list, it's just kinda what it evolved into and I think it works as a solid team where the three can all pull their own weight):

Naruto – Assault/Point: provides close range firepower, numbers, and boundless stamina, more or less the perfect "tank"

Sakura – Team medic: usually can make acute observations, while she can produce the most reliable and often physical hits, she has the hardest time taking advantage of her strength being close range 'slower' taijutsu

Ino – Long range/support: Artillery type, maneuverable and devastating in the right position – Naruto has the rasengan, but lacks the finesse to use most ninjutsu, while Sakura seems more of a genjutsu and melee type – Ino fills this role

Further notes: Ino's demonic chakra is unstable, and any ability that requires a maintained consumption (other than sticking to objects) can misfire. A benefit of the demon cat chakra, is that while using it to enhance movement, she becomes more dexterous gaining reflexes, speed, and flexibility – and finally, the fire affinity/breath. While she still has the potential to learn/use what I will refer to as "instant effect jutsu" she doesn't really know any just yet. And finally, her family techniques – from earlier events, Ino has sort of a phobia about mind transfers for now (this may come up later), and the nature of how the other Yamanaka techniques are affected may be explored later. The main reason she has not attempted any of this yet is her horrid chakra control.

Ok that's enough notes – and if you haven't guessed I have a plot outlined that should last a few chapters (expect updates on both of my stories once per three days more or less). Enjoy!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything native to the Naruto world.

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The lush forests of Fire Country gave way to the rockier landscape as they neared the northern border. Soon a dim mist blanketed the ground as the forests gave way, and they took to running on the rocky ground. Boulders and cracks peppered the small rolling hills between tall lone standing trees, and they snaked around. Winter was rapidly approaching, and the cool air chilled at her skin amplified by the humidity. Sakura shrugged off the chilly wind, and called to her teammates. "The waterfall shouldn't be much further ahead from here. We should get there in time for a hot meal."

That earned a grunt of approval from Naruto, and a dismissive shrug from Ino. She grinned inwardly at the blondes mixed reactions. Another cool breeze covered her arms with goose bumps. _I should have worn a jacket and longer pants._ _Ino has it worse…_ She thought in response to the sound of the blonde's teeth chattering.

A large cliff loomed overhead casting a long shadow over the terrain, as the three approached the river fed by the nation's giant waterfall. _Just a bit further upstream and we can take a break…_ They dashed onward eager to finish the final stretch and rest their aching legs.

Naruto wrinkled his nose and fell into a fit of coughs to her side. _Naruto isn't one to get sick… _"Naruto? Are you ok?"

He wheezed and stared forward. "The smell… the air… its terrible." She frowned and Ino sniffed at the cold air, misty from the falling water ahead.

"Naruto is right… something ahead stinks." Ino gagged and held her fingers to the bridge of her nose wafting the air away. Sakura tried an experimental sniff herself, but could only pick up the faintest scent from the humid air.

"I can't smell it… We have to move on." She suggested. Ino sighed reluctantly, while Naruto nodded hesitantly. Leading the team, Sakura could make out the cascading white water of the giant waterfall in the distance. With each step nearer, she performed another tentative sniff at the air. Eventually the pungent smell of decay and carrion wafted into her senses, and she coughed at the sudden change plugging her nose. "Ugh, I smell it now… It smells like rot. The village!"

At the realization, the three dashed ahead toward the falling water that veiled the entrance to the village. She paled as bile rose in her throat upon spotting the ghastly ornament hung flopping in the cascading water. _Oh god, those are people!_ Strung along the cliff side in the path of the stream were dozens of bodies chained together by through the chests by a thick metal links. Men women and children were fastened together in this fashion, the bodies bloated and distorted into grotesque shapes under the running water. She turned away from the sight catching Ino heaving on all fours from the corner of her eyes.

Feeling sick to her stomach, she fell beside the blonde and took several deep breaths, then gagging at the stench of decay. "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan…" Naruto hovered over them frowning. "Stay here… I'll check out the town." He summoned a clone to leave with the kunoichi and headed toward the veiled entrance.

* * *

Naruto swallowed, and held his nose closed as he stepped underneath the spray to the chasm behind. He had a sinking feeling that the display of the waterfall was only a flavor of what was inside the village, and hoped to spare his lovers the unpleasant sight.

He walked slowly through the dank tunnel before entering what once was the hidden village. He stared across the broken landscape. More corpses lay strewn about like broken dolls. Swallowing uncomfortably at the carnage, his eyes trailed toward the buildings of the town. All that remained of most of the structures were cracked foundations covered with shattered bricks. Charred trees and other unidentified piles blanketed the village.

His eyes then scanned to the usual peaceful body of water in the center of the village that in the past reflected the clear sky. The pool was now polluted and murky of debris, mud, and blood. _Who did this?_ The extent of the damage seemed inconsistent. Whoever destroyed the small village did it with much malice and he shivered at the thought, but _enjoyment_.

Worrying about the girls, he hurried back to the tunnel the visions he had seen plaguing his mind. _It looks like someone was toying and making an example of them…_

Hearing footsteps, Sakura looked to the bottom of the waterfall using her mental discipline to focus on a soothing thought. "Naruto?"

"Yes… it's worse inside." She frowned at how pale and thin lipped he looked.

"What do we do now? Did you find anything?"

He shook his head. "Whoever did this... toyed with them. Maybe it was Akatsuki… Let's go back to Tsunade-bachan…" Ino and Sakura both nodded quietly and followed him back to Konoha.

* * *

They remained quiet the entire trip back to Konoha. Standing in front of the Hokage, Sakura broke the silence. "Tsunade-shishou… the Waterfall Village was gone when we arrived…"

"Gone?" The Hokage looked at their sullen expressions and sighed leaning back. "It's worse than I feared. I have news. It seems Sasuke has killed Orochimaru, and the sound ninja under his command are now ravaging the borders. Akatsuki has recruited many into their plans, and others have become little more than bandits." Naruto and Sakura stiffened at the news.

"I regret to say this, but I have another mission for you three." Even Naruto remained calm at the prospect of the mission. "This mission is scheduled to last for a month. Its special wartime border patrol. You will be stationed along the northern border near the Rice Country. Keep in contact, a nearby village has messenger pigeons available for your mission. The world is growing dangerous, and you three need to especially be careful."

Orochimaru news – hear about roving renegade nin ravaging borders, Akatsuki recruiting many while rest ensue chaos on countryside

"If… Sasuke isn't with Orochimaru… is he coming back?" Naruto asked slowly.

Tsunade stared at him. "I do not think he intends anything of the sort. I'm sorry, but this mission is more important. The security of Konoha depends on it."

Sakura set his hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Right, Tsunade-bachan we'll go."

* * *

Several figures of glowing light illuminated the darkness as they conversed. "Leader, is it true we lost the Nibi? The damage caused by the Kyuubi brat will considerably slow down our plans."

"Yes… the Nibi's spirit is no longer contained. Our contact in Konoha has suggested that it may be in this girl." An image shimmered before the figures of a haughty teenage girl with long, pale blonde hair dressed in a revealing purple outfit.

"They have made a new jinchuuriki? This is unexpected." One of them rasped.

"No matter. Forget the Nibi for now; we may recover it while capturing the Kyuubi. The contact has informed that both the Kyuubi brat and this girl are on a team together, and will be on a border patrol mission. Also, we have managed to confirm the Kyuubi's interest in this brat."

The image of the blonde girl distorted into that of a young pink haired woman wearing red shirt with tight black shorts and a tan skirt. "This girl… Yes, I've seen her with Naruto-kun…"

"She has also proved formidable; we believe she was the one who stopped Sasori and another one of our top agents. It is likely the Kyuubi brat would go out of control if we were to use her as bait."

"Our spy in Konoha has given details on their station. Now, your orders are…"

* * *

A/N: The plot thickens… Sorry it's a short chapter. Both my fics will start getting a bit actiony for a few chapters so updates may be a little slower than usual. 


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything native to the Naruto world.

* * *

"Psst, where is he dragging us again?" Ino moaned to Sakura being hauled by an eager Naruto gripping tightly to their wrists.

"Take a wild guess. Tsunade-shishou said we'd be gone a month.. He's getting his fix." Sakura rolled her eyes as she worked to keep up with the ramen loving blond.

Ino nearly tripped at the pace and whined. "Didn't we do this before the last mission? Is this where he eats before every mission? I don't mind the occasional ramen, but this is ridiculous! And I thought Chouji was bad!"

"This is the _only_ place Naruto eats usually… just smile and learn to like it. Besides… we can change his diet on this mission." Ino cackled madly at Sakura's suggestion as they reached the stand.

After finishing their modest proportions Ino poked at the all ramen-consuming Naruto. "Enjoy it while you can whiskers. We're handling the food for the mission. N-o ramen."

He pouted looking toward Ino. "But that's not fair! Sakura-chan back me up!"

Ino grinned and punched at his shoulder. "It was her idea."

He slurped at his next bowl of ramen amidst their giggles. "Traitors…"

* * *

Packing the supplies tightly in a bag Ino sighed. "You got the rest, Sakura?" _We're going to have to live off the land, and make trips to the local village some days. _

The pink-haired medic nodded, fastening her pack. "And Naruto can carry the other one. Where is he anyway?"

Ino smirked. "I sent him out to fetch some shuriken and other things." She elbowed her friend. "He'd of only gotten in the way and packed ramen." Sakura nodded knowingly.

* * *

"We can reach the border area Tsunade-shishou wants us to patrol in the late hours tonight if we travel fast. There are little settlements in this area, and according to our mission details a lot of ex-Sound ninja are terrorizing the few villages, and many are working their way across the border as nothing more than common brigands." Ino nodded dismissively at the repeat of the orders that were more for Naruto's sake than hers.

She let her mind wander on just what the mission would be like. Sure there would be some fighting here and here, but most of the month would probably be spent in relative quiet. _Living alone with these two will be fun at least_. She eyed the cozy tent they would be sharing packed tightly on Naruto's back.

The quarter moon shown high overhead when they finally reached the eaves of the forest overlooking the abundant fields ahead. "Let's search for a spot." Ino offered, gesturing toward the east along the forest's edge. Soon they had selected a small copse of trees that'd offer adequate cover for their small abode.

"You two want to handle the tent? I'll check to see where the nearest water is." Ino nodded to Sakura who disappeared into the trees.

She yawned widely sitting down on a large root. "Can you handle it Naruto?" He gave her a wide grin and thumbs before setting up the tent.

Shortly she was staring in fascination at the mess he had made. Here, the container of the most powerful bijuu, a ninja focused on becoming Hokage, and who had proved himself time again in the past, was losing miserably to a small pup tent. _Maybe I should help him? _A storm of curses came from the blob-like entity in front of her rolling into the side of a tree producing a resounding clunk. _Nah…_

"Naruto, Ino, there's a large stream about a quarter mile toward the east." She glanced at the spectacle in the clearing. "What the hell! Ino, why aren't you helping him?"

She shrugged at the pinkette. "I'm watching our future Hokage lose to a tent. I never knew they could be such fearsome opponents…" She sarcastically replied.

Sakura stalked over and bonked the writing mass of Naru-tent. "This is going to be a long month with you two…" She sighed wearily and hauled the dazed Naruto out of the material. "Ino-pig, help me get this untangled – Naruto, just uh, sit there."

"And why should I do that forehead?" She scoffed leaning against the tree with a yawn.

"Well… if you want to sleep on the ground." Sakura glanced to the dazed jinchuuriki. "You wouldn't want me to tell Naruto just where you're the most ticklish… and how you discovered that would you?" _She wouldn't!_

Ino shivered at the thought of _that_. Grumbling she stalked toward the collapsed tent. "Damn forehead… stoop to blackmail."

"Ticklish what?" Naruto rubbed at his head rising to his knees.

Ino wasted no time throwing her bag at him shrieking. "Go back to sleep!"

* * *

Tension was relieved only after the three had cuddled together in the tent. When Naruto awoke, he felt refreshed and ready for the new day. _Right after I hide my stash…_ He glanced around the sleeping bag at the two still snug against him. _Time for the kage-bunshin kawarimi! _

After performing his new morning technique he used whenever he was the first to awake, he tiptoed with his pack out of the small copse they had selected as their camp. Once he was a small distance away, he unzipped the bag and rubbed his hands together at the stash of ramen cups. Placing them in a smaller sack, he smiled to himself at the hidden delectable rameny goodness under a mass of roots. _And they thought it'd be that easy!_

He clapped his hands together and turned around and shrank under the intense blue and green eyed stares. "Whatcha got there Naruto?" _Nooooo!_

* * *

Standing ankle deep in the water, Naruto was thankful he had the most gracious and understanding girlfriends. They had only settled on scolding and confiscating his supply saying he had to earn it back, rather than destroy the stock. Of course, attempting to hide it the fact in the first place rewarded him with the duty of catching their lunch in the cool stream.

Chasing a fish with his eyes, Naruto lowered himself and put his hand out ready to strike. "You're doing it all wrong!" The fish darted away and he dived for it falling face first in the chilly creek. _First they take away my ramen, then they send me to fish, then they criticize and nag me while I do just that! _

He threw back his shoulders and groaned. "You're scaring the fish away Ino-chan." Wrong thing to say to the blonde firecracker, who growled and threw the one fish he had managed to catch despite her criticisms at him. The creature flopped against his face before sliding back into the cool water. "Ino-chan!" He whined and looked about at the fish that had all scattered the disturbance.

She harrumphed, and blew at the strands of pale hair in front of her face. "Now look what you did! We don't have any fish now!" _She… Threw… What… Grr…_ She huffed, and glanced up the stream to where many of the fish had darted.

Not one to take abuse lightly, Naruto grabbed at her ankles and pulled her into the stream. With a surprised shriek and splash, Ino crashed flailing into the water. Rising to her knees she glared daggers at him. "Na-ru-to!"

His eyes caught a trace of movement and he whipped his wrist out and held up his catch. Gripping it in his hand he thrust it toward her grinning at the sopping wet blonde. "Look Ino-chan, I caught a fi---" Naruto then learned never hold out a live fish to a pissed off kunoichi, as she started to slap him with it.

* * *

Sakura poked at the fire she had made, waiting for her two friends who had gone fishing. She stared in disbelief when they both arrived back at the camp laughing and drenched to the bone. "Please say you caught something?"

Naruto glared at Ino who stifled her giggles and shrugged shyly. "Oops?"

"I'll go get the cup ramen…" _I must be the only sane one!_

While they ate she glanced to Ino who gathered her trash and walked away from the fire. Taking the opportunity she nudged her elbow at Naruto getting his attention. "Psst Naruto… today is…"

* * *

Sitting on a tall branch with her legs dangling over, Ino watched the gentle rolling plains of the Rice Country. Hours had gone by with little change in the quiet scenery, and Ino's mind began to drift. _Toying with Naruto was sure fun today… I wonder how I should torment him tomorrow._ She pursed her lips, surveying the fields ahead. It was curious that the three of them were given this mission. This would have been better suited to team 8 which specialized in scouting and surveillance. A cracked limb derailed her train of thought, and she whipped her head toward the sudden sound.

She pulled herself onto the branch and crouched ready like a coiled spring poised to burst into action at a moments notice. _What was that?_ She started to relax slowly when nothing revealed itself after a suspenseful minute. Ino let out a deep breath then froze as a pair of powerful arms wrapped around her from behind pinning her arms to her body.

Ino thrashed her body, and tossed her head to get a glimpse of the assailant. She then relaxed at the soft whisper and warm breath that caressed her ear. "Happy birthday Ino-chan."

Sakura jumped to the branch smiling in front of her. "You didn't think I'd forget would you? You two go relax, I'll watch for now."

She settled back against Naruto's chest. "You guys… did you have to scare me half to death?"

Naruto grinned and picked her up causing her to yelp as he hauled her back to the camp. "Sakura-chan also said you read Ero-sennin's book… so I stole you an unreleased copy of his newest volume off his desk."

He set her down back at the camp and handed her a small wrapped package. She unwrapped and read the cover. _Icha Icha Dream?_ He sat down next to her and whispered pushing his fingers together while blushing. "Sakura-chan suggested if you saw anything you like…"

Ino grinned and started flipping through the first pages. _Is this… Oh my god_… Her eyes widened and gaped at the scenes being described.

He stammered out at her blank expression. "W-what is it? Y-you saw something you want to do?"

"Uh, that's the problem… we already _did this._" She tossed him the book and gripped the bottom of her skirt tightly. He slowly opened the small perverted book and began to read the opened page. His eyes scanned the writing then his jaw started to drop.

"Ero-sennin!"

* * *

A/N: No real action – lot of fluff and just how a day of NaruSakuIno just might be. This did focus more on Ino moments… cause, happy birthday Ino!

No sorry, no incoming lemon, though I did consider it for a short while. (Perhaps I'll make a companion later that would be an insert here scene)

I think after this arc is resolved I may end this story (Still quite a few chapters left, I won't leave loose ends – don't worry). It is becoming very difficult to write when they already have an ebstablished relationship and the prospect of writing a fic all the way to Naruto-hokageism or whatever isn't appealing right now.

I think once I end this, I may have some companion fics (maybe a few One-Shots/lemons) or an epilogue later on.

Once I have finished the main story of Mind of Others, I may start another piece (either NaruSaku, NaruIno, or NaruSakuIno – prob one that includes Ino seeing as All I Have Left would be my NaruSaku fix). But I have no ideas yet for the premise of this next work may be. That said, if you have an interesting idea that you think my writing style would complement, shoot it my way and I'd be happy to discuss.


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